A Match Made in History
by JenaMariano
Summary: WILL BE REWRITING AND REVISING! I changed the rating just to be safe. M for some swearing and violent content. I adopted this story from Shvrmetmbrs05. Chapter 15 belong to her, along with the consept of the story. Chapters 6 and up belong to me. Dawn ta
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Okay I don't own chapters 1-5. Shvrmetmbrs05 let me adopt her story. The first 5 chapter belong to her. All chapters after chapter 5 belong to me.

Summary: Dawn takes a little…trip. OK…a big trip. What happens when she finds out she not in "Kansas" anymore? And what is that little secret Spike never told the fellow Scoobys? Can Dawn make it home safe and sound, or will she change something that was never meant to be changed?


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Joss, not me, owns Dawn, Buffy, Xander, Willow, their mothers, their cousins, they're half-brothers, their mom's sister's boyfriend's mother, and Spike.(despite my wishes to the contrary) Reviews: please Distribution: Just tell me  
Looking around, Dawn could tell she definitely wasn't in Kansas anymore. There were no cars, there were horse drawn carriages. Her jeans made her feel extremely out of place compared to the surrounding women's dresses. She managed to hide in the shadows near a house so she could think. Where the hell am I? Was her only rational thoughts. She didn't even know how she got there. One minute she's talking to Spike and the next. poof. gone. here.  
  
"Who are you?" Dawn heard behind her. She gasped and turned around. A frail old woman stood behind her. She was a sweet looking woman that reminded her of her mother. But since Dawn was on her property most likely, she didn't really know what to say.  
  
The old woman at the strangely clothed girl in front of her. She was wearing pants of all things! She was very, very beautiful, and very scared. "Don't worry," she said, "I'm not going to hurt you." The woman looked saw the girl's large frightened eyes soften and she approached her.  
  
"What has happened darling? Are you lost?" Dawn looked at her, trusting that she meant her no harm.  
  
"Yes, I think so," Dawn replied. The woman looked at her sympathetically.  
  
"Come on, then. Come inside, we'll find you some clothes. Goodness, child, what are you wearing?!" the old woman exclaimed, reaching out her hand. Dawn took it, unsure, but trusting.  
  
The woman sounded English, as well as faint voices, so Dawn assumed she was in England somehow. She must have done some time traveling due to the excess amount of cloth on the old woman's dress. Also, the woman was so trusting. Just inviting her in? Please! Not that Dawn was complaining, but she could get hurt. It was something Joyce would have done. The thought made Dawn swell up inside.  
  
She found her self in a huge house, like ones she read about in books. It seemed like it would have twenty bedrooms and those rooms that rich people have. like a 'drawing room' and a 'parlor'.  
  
"Sit down, darling," the woman said, which Dawn did. "First things first. We simply must get you some attire. Who put you in that ensemble anyway?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Dawn said, deciding to play the amnesia-ridden lost girl.  
  
"Where's your family, child?"  
  
"I don't know," she replied.  
  
"Oh," the woman replied sympathetically. "You will stay here then, until your family is found."  
  
"Oh I couldn't-"  
  
"Nonsense," the old woman said. "London is a dangerous place. Especially for a pretty young dove like yourself." Ah ha! So she was in England. Dawn felt glad that at least she knew where she was. The woman took her hand. "Come along, darling. We must get you dressed." It was evening, so Dawn saw no reason for putting on one of those things, but she didn't want to be rude. Her thought were lost on the way up the stairs.  
  
William walked down the streets of London. He had been so close to telling Cecily of his feelings for her, but shied away once again. He'd poured over his poems for hours to make it perfect, but it wouldn't come out right. He finally reached his house. A few more minutes and he'd be dreaming about his love where everything he wanted would be his.  
  
He opened the door to his quiet house. His mother was usually knitting in the parlor, but he could find no one.  
  
"Mother?" he asked. No answer. He walked into the foyer up to the staircase. "Mother?" he called upstairs.  
  
"Ah, William!" she said. "Your home." She came down the stairs, a young woman trailing behind her.  
  
And oh what a woman she was.  
  
She looked younger than Cecily, about sixteen or seventeen. She had long, flowing brunette hair he had a sudden urge to touch. The two women reached the end of the stairs so he could look her in the face. It was a beautiful heart-shaped face that glowed with radiant youth and purity. Her large blue eyes were complimented with long dark lashes. Her pink lips were parted slightly. The vision of her made words of poetry much prettier than his usually flow through his head. Oh dear, was he staring?  
  
Oh god! Oh god! Spike's human! Oh god! Spike's not turned! Oh god! This is when Spike was human! Thus was Dawn's only intelligible thoughts.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Joss, not me, owns Dawn, Buffy, Xander, Willow, their mothers, their cousins, they're half-brothers, their mom's sister's boyfriend's mother, and Spike.(despite my wishes to the contrary) Reviews: please Distribution: Just tell me  
Play it cool, Dawn, play it cool. He doesn't know you, don't act dumb. I repeat he does not know you, do not at dumb. Dawn gave herself this piece of advice as Spi.er, she thought. William continued to look at her. Did he recognize her? Maybe it was Spike, and he had been sent back too.  
  
"Good evening, madam," he said. Yeah right, Summers. Spike would use 'madam' if his unlife depended on it.  
  
"Hello," she said quietly, studying the floor. The pattern was all of the sudden mesmerizing.  
  
"William, Mrs. Grady is sick and I wanted to run some soup over to her."  
  
"Mother, that's not-"  
  
"Don't start, young man, I can take care of myself," she said, getting her coat. "It's only at the end of the corner. See too it that Miss Summers get something to eat and a proper room. She'll be staying with us for what might be quite a while." She turned to see Dawn. "My dear, I'll be gone for a while. If I don't see before you go to bed, I'll see you in the morning." The old woman kissed her head and smiled. "I'm so glad it's us you ended up with, Dawn." With that, she left.  
  
Bed? Dawn thought. It couldn't be later than 8:30! And she just took 30 minutes getting into that stupid dress! She turned to see Sp. William. She had to stop doing that.  
  
"Hello," she said, laughing tautly.  
  
"Hello," he replied. "Shall we get you something to eat?" Dawn stomach growled at the thought of food, but she felt very sick, and didn't think she'd keep anything down. The last thing she want to do was throw up all over him.  
  
"No, thank you. I'm not that hungry." He nodded, not really sure what to say. He didn't want to send her to a room. She'd fall asleep, and that would be it. What to do, what to do. Could he bring himself to actually have a conversation with a woman he liked? He thought maybe he could this time. Unlike Cecily or other girls he'd dreamed of courting, Miss Summers seemed to be a. calm creature, and had an air that put him at ease.  
  
"Well," he said, "unless you want to get some rest, which you might very well like to, we have some gardens you could see or I could give you a tour of the house, if you don't want to retire so early. Mother doesn't seem to notice that not everyone goes to bed at dusk." There! He said it! He didn't even stutter! Did she buy into it?  
  
Dawn smiled, relieved she didn't have to go to bed, not that she'd be able to sleep anyway. "I'd like that," she said. William looked at her strangely for a moment.  
  
"To which one?"  
  
"The house," she laughed quietly.  
  
"Oh," he said, smiling bashfully. He offered her arm to her. At first she didn't know what he was doing, but upon remembering where she was, she slipped her arm through his.  
"This is this the library," William said, opening about the thousandth door. God, the house was so big! They started with the top floor, where he showed her where her room was, then where his and his mother's room was. There were a bunch of other guestrooms. They had gone to the parlor, study, kitchen, billiard room, living room, and they were now in a library.  
  
They're next stop was the gardens. They were beautiful. How could he ever leave here? The gardens smelled like her mom's makeshift flower patch back in good ol' Sunnydale. Dawn immediately pushed that thought away. She didn't want to start crying here. William continued to explain the history of the house. It was like, a bazillion years old. Some duke had supposedly built it with his bare hands, which was weird, because he was a duke. Something like that. When they got to the garden he was telling her about the flowers and what they all represented. Wow, she thought, he really was a poet. How'd he remember all of that stuff? And why was he so timid? Spike wasn't shy. Must be the whole turning thing. She didn't mind though. It was. kind of cute in unlike-Spike-part-of-Spike way.  
  
He walked her back up to the room he had set off as hers. "Well milady, you must be tired now. Shall you retire?" She was beginning to feel she'd need a translator if they were to get into any deep discussion.  
  
"Yes, William, I think I will, thank you," she replied in her best old-fashioned language, not that she had any. She was probably breaking a big etiquette rule by calling him by his first name, but she really didn't care.  
  
"Good night, Miss Summers," he said shyly.  
  
"Goodnight," she said, and closed the door. She heard him walk down the hallway into his room. She walked over to the vanity mirror, trying desperately to get the dress off. After about thirty minutes, she managed to get most of it, including that thing that was crushing her ribcage. She was left in the light shift, which was surprisingly light and comfortable. She walked over to the bed and pulled the sheets back. Tomorrow, maybe she'd wake up outside the twilight zone. If not, she had one objective:  
  
Find out how the heck she got there.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Joss, not me, owns Dawn, Buffy, Xander, Willow, their mothers, their cousins, they're half-brothers, their mom's sister's boyfriend's mother, and Spike.(despite my wishes to the contrary) Reviews: please Distribution: Just tell me  
  
Dawn woke up in an unfamiliar room. Crap, she thought. Why couldn't it be a bad dream? But noooooo. just had to be real. It's OK Summers. Another day, another dollar. Not that that relates to this situation WHATSOEVER. But that doesn't matter. At this very moment, Buffy and everyone are working very hard to get me home.  
  
"Have you found anything?!" Buffy yelled at Willow, who was looking furiously at an old book.  
  
"Just this," the witch said, patient with Buffy. She understood her frustration. Dawn had been gone for hours. She had disappeared right in front of them. The First or any sorts of things could have her. "This is a book on unnatural travel. Dawn disappeared into a white light. Most dimension portals have a characteristic color. The white indicates that there wasn't a change in dimension, just time."  
  
"What do you mean?" Buffy said. "She's in a different time?"  
  
"Well," Willow said, turning back to her book, "that's what I found."  
  
"Great. That really narrows down the field," Spike said sarcastically. It would be a mistake to misconstrue his calmness for patience. He was exceptionally quiet, afraid he'd be forced to take out his frustrations on an unsuspecting passer-by that was irritating the unlife out him...not to name any names. (Andrew, Anya, Potentials) He may have a soul, but Dawn was at risk here, after all. NO one messed with her, he didn't care if he had to tear the throat out of the First himself, it WOULD pay, he vowed that. It could torture him, kill potentials, whatever, but NO one touched the Nibblet.  
  
"Do you think it was the first?" Buffy asked Willow.  
  
"Yes," Giles said, walking in the house with something under his arm. He sat it on the table.  
  
"Fabulous ball," Spike huffed, shifting against the doorframe impatiently. What Giles put on the table looked like something he'd see Lady Cleo have in front of her. Just then, it started to glow, which peaked his interest. "What's that mean? Great things come to those who wait?" he said, refusing to show intrigue.  
  
"No, it means Dawn has been here." All eyebrows furrowed at that point.  
  
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked. "She's still."  
  
"The Key." He finished. "More powerful than we thought, evidently." He sat down, cleaning his glasses. "Dawn was formed into human flesh by the monks. That's where I found that thing, by the way, where they made her. I found text as to what would happen in the event that Dawn lived." He paused, replacing his glasses, taking a breath. "After Glory had her cut, her power didn't disappear, it came to the surface. Only she can use it, it's under her power, she just didn't know."  
  
"So does the First have her. Will said she might be in another time in this world." Giles turned to Willow, who nodded her head. "All roads point to that," she confirmed. Giles thought for a moment.  
  
"Yes," he said. "That would make sense. The First can't use her power, so I guess it wanted to make sure we couldn't either. She sent her somewhere to be killed. Or at least kept"  
  
"Not that this isn't a good thing," Xander said, "but why not just kill her? Why send her to a different time?"  
  
"Killing her itself would be to kill itself. Whoever takes the lifeblood of the key takes the power. But that comes with a territory. The power is pure, and good. To take it would be to put all of the goodness and responsibility on your shoulders. Dawn hold the good in the world together as The First holds the evil together. She was to soon accept her responsibility since she's now sixteen and old enough to handle it. That explains the First's timing."  
  
"It says all that in that book?" Xander asked off-handedly.  
  
"We need Dawn, Buffy. She is the only one that can kill the First."  
  
"But she's just a kid," Buffy said.  
  
"In case you haven't noticed, slayer, she's far from a kid. She's held it together a lot better than some others." Buffy had to agree with that.  
  
"We don't even know where to start," Buffy said back to Giles. "It could have put her anywhere."  
  
"We need to figure out how to get her first, then we'll get her." Spike all of the sudden, closed his eyes, remembering something that hadn't been there before.  
  
London 1880:  
  
"Ah, William!" she said. "Your home." She came down the stairs, a young woman trailing behind her.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Joss, not me, owns Dawn, Buffy, Xander, Willow, their mothers, their cousins, they're half-brothers, their mom's sister's boyfriend's mother, and Spike.(despite my wishes to the contrary) Reviews: please Distribution: Just tell me  
  
Other: I would just like to thank all of you who, for some odd reason, enjoy my writing. The reviews are awesome! I think I've even managed to convert some anti S/D shippers, according to some e-mail. (Wipes away tear) I'm so proud. =) I probably won't be keeping up with the gang in the present every little step because that would be really confusing to jump back and forth through time. Once in a while I might update as to where Spike is on his memories. I only wrote that so everyone would know what was going on in SunnyD. Now. On with the story. BTW: does anyone know Spike's former last name? For the life of me, I can't recall. Help would be much appreciated.  
  
Dawn finally got herself to get out of bed. She dreaded having to get back into the walking torture chamber the woman referred to as a corset. She was never much of a feminist, but this was just ridiculous. But hey, things could be worse, right? So she was about 120 years in the past. She could be in some other dimension, where she was turned or something...else. She stood up, stretching her muscles. The cracking of her back sounded disturbing, but it felt a lot better.  
  
A woman suddenly came in. She was dressed like Trudy off 'Titanic', only seemed to be not much older than herself. "Top 'a the morning to you, missus. I trust you slept well." Her cockney accent had caught Dawn off guard, and she stood very still, her eyes wide. The girl had brought another dress, which seemed even tighter than the one last night.  
  
"Hi," Dawn managed. The girl hung the dress up, dusting it off, not really acknowledging Dawn's small reply.  
  
"The household's all astir with you here now. Everyone wondering who you are. I hear tell you're not sure yourself, is that right?" Dawn had a feeling anything she said would pass through the ears of everyone in the house, so she decided to maintain a concrete story.  
  
"No," she said. "Everything is so blurry up until last night." The girl was visibly disappointed, but maintained a smile.  
  
"You remember your name, though?"  
  
"Yes, Dawn. Dawn Summers. I think that's my name. It sticks with me." Dawn realized she slipped up last night. She was lucky Spi...William's mom didn't catch it. She really had to work on the name thing. If she slipped up, she'd be in not just a pickle, but an uncooked cucumber. The maid took the dress off what Dawn would call a anger and approached Dawn with it. Seeing that she didn't have her corset on, she put the dress down and retrieved it.  
  
"Here, let me help you," she said. Dawn lifted her arms and let the girl put the dratted thing on her. She hung tight to the bedpost as she felt the oxygen be squeezed from her body. The girl finally tied the last tie.  
  
"My name is Margaret by the way."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Thank you so much for breaking my ribs, she thought behind a smile. The girl picked up her dress.  
  
"The missus sent this to you. It was Master William's sister's before she got married." A sly smile crept up on the young maidservant's face. "But I don't think the Master's feelings toward you are at all brotherly." She approached her to put the dress over Dawn's head. Dawn's eye's furrowed together.  
  
"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, unsure if she was ready to know.  
  
"Well, he's obviously take a liking to you, is all. You'll have to excuse the household. A curious bunch we are." "But I only met him last night!" Kind of.  
  
" But we'd never seen Master William as he was last night. The proverbial cat usually gets his tongue when he talks to girls." Spike? Not talk to girls? That's a laugh. "But not last night, he wasn't. He must really like you." Boy, Dawn thought. Things sure did move fast here. Margaret finished the ties on her dress, and turned Dawn around to look in the mirror. Whoa, Dawn thought. The dress really was pretty. She felt...girly in it. It was baby blue with lace around the neck. Suddenly, she appreciated the suffocating apparatus. Her waist looked really tiny. She saw Margaret come up behind her with a ribbon and started working it into her hair. Her locks were slightly curled from being slept on. In about ten minutes, her hair was halfway pulled back with some hanging on the side. She felt like she stepped into a Gone With the Wind scenario.  
  
"Come. The Missus and Master are expecting to breakfast."  
  
Dawn timidly stepped into the dining room. WILLIAM sat next to his mother, who was at the head of the table. William looked from behind his glasses at her with his shy blue eyes. So unlike the eyes she was used. She longed to see that cocky twinkle in the familiar blue orbs. Maybe she could help him with that, before he was turned.  
  
The thought hit her like a ton of bricks as she sat down.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Joss, not me, owns Dawn, Buffy, Xander, Willow, their mothers, their cousins, they're half-brothers, their mom's sister's boyfriend's mother, and Spike.(despite my wishes to the contrary) Reviews: please Distribution: Just tell me  
  
'Spike' gonna get turned. Spike's gonna get evil. Spike's not going to have a chip. They don't even have chips. Not even potato ones. Get a hold of yourself, Dawn. Drusilla's gonna be here. Darla's gonna be here. ANGELUS is gonna be here. Crap. Crap! CRAP! Not cool. Not kosher. Breathe Dawn; they're looking at you. Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out. It's okay. You'll be out of here in no time. Buffy and everybody are working really hard to get me home. Yup. I'll be at home by lunchtime. No problem. We'll kick the First's behind six ways from Sunday in good ol' 2003."  
  
"Miss Summers?"  
  
"What!" she gasped. Geez, Dawn. Strung out much. She look at the shocked William. He stuttered.  
  
"Would you like some..."  
  
"Yes, I'm starving," she said, absently taking the plate he offered, her eyes blankly ahead.  
  
"Miss Summers, are you quite all right, my dear?" William's mother asked. Dawn looked at her, her eyes resembling a deer caught in headlights.  
  
"I'm' fine," she squeaked. "May I be excused?" She forgot her hunger pangs as she left the table and running outside to the gardens she had seen last night. She felt the warm morning sun hit her as she struggled to breathe?  
  
'But when?' she thought. Spike had told her about his turning. He was at a party. The one with Cecily or whatever the stupid broad's name was. If she could find out when it was, she would know when to skip town. Why? Why was she put here? Was it the first trying to get her killed? What else could it be? Willow gone awry again? She needed to find out when it was. She had to get out of there!  
  
"Miss Summers?" William asked. Dawn gasped, looking at him.  
  
"Don't scare me like that!" she said, forgetting wit wasn't Spike. She regretted it when he shied a bit. She didn't mean to flip out on him. "I'm sorry," she said softer. "I'm just a little... overwhelmed right now. I mean, I don't even know how I got here. I barely remember my name." William smiled shyly.  
  
"It is all right," he said. "I understand. I only wanted to see if you were well. You seem extremely tense."  
  
"Yes," she said. "I am. I just, want to find out how to... get home." William's smile faded a little at the thought. Surely she would want to get home. He would if he were in her situation. The thought saddened him still.  
  
"Of course," he said. "We shall find your parents as soon as possible. I will send a note to the constable to search for any missing persons, if it pleases you to do so." Dawn nodded, playing like she didn't know. He hadn't seen her modern clothes, and his mother would probably never speak of them, so she probably wouldn't be found out any time soon. She didn't like lying to them, but what was she going to say? 'Uh, actually, I'm from the future, so it really won't so any good.' She'd probably be hanged as a witch or something.  
  
"Miss Summers, my mother sent me to ask you if you wished to go shopping with her today. I believe she wanted to buy you a few dresses..."  
  
"Oh, no," Dawn said. "I couldn't. She's already done so much..."  
  
"No no," he said. "She's always wanted a young girl around to spoil. You'll be ruining her fun." Dawn smiled.  
  
"No, I really couldn't..."  
  
"She told me to tell you that she won't take no for an answer." Dawn sighed.  
  
"I believe she want to show you off at the upcoming ball in a few weeks." Dawn paused. Ball? She asked that very question.  
  
"Yes, a social of sorts they hold every so often. You wouldn't mind being my guest, would you?"  
  
"How can I refuse?" she said, maintain a sweet façade but cringing. Great. Great. A few weeks was all she had.  
  
"Don't be modest," William's mother said, insisting that she twirl so that she could see the rest of the dress Dawn was wearing. Dawn was torn between feeling like a fool and feeling like a princess. She didn't like the thought of some stranger buying all this stuff for her, but it was Spike's mother. Did that give them some kind of weird connection? Her dress was deep green velvet, made for night parties. It was supposedly in style. William's mother insisted that she would be the prettiest thing at that party.  
  
"Mrs. Abinton will be so jealous. She's always throwing her two daughters at every rich man that she comes across. And they're not half as beautiful as you are. Now, now, don't be blushing. We can't be ignoring the truth, now can we." Dawn now understood what William meant. Maybe She had wanted a daughter to spoil. She still didn't feel right accepting gifts from her, but she couldn't convince her otherwise. She was simply lightly pinched on the cheek, being told 'such a sweet girl'. She felt like some child that was being patted on the head.  
  
"Thank you," Dawn said quietly on the ride back to their house.  
  
"Oh Dawn," she said. "Humor and old woman." Dawn smiled shyly. She could manage that. Everything was happening so fast. One minute she was fighting the root of all evil the next she was being shopped for by Spike's mother while Spike was human: in 19th century England. Fate, it seemed, was not without a sense of humor. And it wasn't hard to notice William's attraction to her. She wasn't conceited, but he wore his heart out on his sleeve. It wasn't hard to notice that she felt the same way. Every feeling she had managed to bury toward Spike was knocking at the door inside her. It was so easy to love William because it was so easy to love Spike. Spike was a bit wiser then William, but they were so much alike. Spike, even while a vampire, always let the world know what he thought, In more of a sarcastic way. William let everything he thought shine through his actions and words. She only hoped that this feeling for William and resurfacing feeling for Spike, which were the same, because they were the same person, was merely some kind of byproduct of time travel, too much trauma. Not to mention the next few weeks. She was nearly two weeks away to being smack in the middle of the Scourge of Europe. It figured, with her luck. How was she going to get out of that one?


	7. Chapter 6

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Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or chapters one - five.

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A/N: Shvrmetmbrs05 was nice enough to let me adopt her story a match made in history. She owns chapters one -five and the idea of the story. I am just continuing her idea. All chapters after chapter five are mine with the help of input from both the reviewers and Shvrmetmbrs05. So I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

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Chapter 6

Spike opened his eyes and for the first time that day let one of his emotions visible for everyone to see. Xander was the first to notice it.

" Spike, I know the thought of the first only being able to die at the hand of the Dawnster is shocking, but I would have thought nothing would surprise you by now." Xander said, trying to lighten the mood, not realizing the severity of Spike's shock.

Everyone looked at Spike as he tried to remember the exact time that the mysterious and beautiful Dawn Summers had shown up at his house. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Angelous." was all Spike managed to get out.

"What about Angelous?" Buffy and Giles asked at the same time. Mean while Willow, Xander, Anya, and Andrew got scared and worried looks on their faces. Spike looked up at all of them.

"The firsts favorite was always Angelous. He saw him as the next "first" of sorts if anything bloody happened to him. So he sent Dawn to the time when Angelous loved innocent, beautiful, teenage girls the most." Spike's voice wavered at the thought of the fate that could be in store for his nibblet if they didn't hurry.

Giles paled and Xander put his arm around Willow to give her as much support as possible. And Buffy and Andrew simultaneously slowly lowered themselves onto the couch. And Anya walked up to Giles to make sure he wasn't going to be sick.

"Spike," Buffy started, but her voice cracked. "When is she?"

"19th Century, England. 1880 to be exact. 2 weeks before Darla, Angelous, and Drusilla showed and turned me. And she's in my house, with me, and my mother, and our help." Spike whispered. He was still trying to comprehend that she was there. Then all of the sudden a sickening thought came to him. And if possible he paled even more.

"Spike?" Giles asked when he saw this.

"If she figure that out, she may try and stop that from happening. Angelous would see that I cared for her. And hold her hostage until I rose. And he would make her my first meal." Spike thought out loud, while shaking his head as if trying to convince himself that he was wrong. That that wouldn't be a possible scenario. But he knew both Dawn and Angelous to well. The possibility that Angelous would take that option was greater than the one that Angelous would just feed off of her and leave her in the street.

Spike sank to the floor still shaking his head, eyes wide, and shaking all over. " No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. -- I don't want to hurt her. She is my nibblet . No. No. No. No. Nibblet please don't figure this out please. No. No. No." He just kept repeating similar things like this out loud, but more to himself than anyone else. All the while the severity of the situation sank into everyone else's minds and nerves.

Willow finally stood up and walked over to the vampire, that she at one point had thought she would never see him breakdown. She knelt down on the floor and held Spike in her arms, while he tried to pull himself together. Willow motioned for Xander to giver her , her laptop. Xander nodded, understanding what she was doing. He brought the computer to Willow and let her do her thing.

"Hey Spike." Willow called to him gently and waited for him to look at her. When he did, she smiled lightly. "Why don't you help me look up ways to get Dawnnie and save her." she said to him soothingly. Spike nodded slowly and leaned into the witch as she offer him comfort. The kind of comfort he hadn't gotten since he was a young boy and his mother or sister would comfort his worrying mind.

Everyone else silently got the message and got back to work while trying to stay calm for the time being, so that they could find Dawn and get her back to safety.


	8. Chapter 7

Dawn Couldn't sleep. No matter how hard she tried sleep just wouldn't come to her. Finally she just gave up and slipped on her robe and quietly walked downstairs to get a book from the library, that she was sure would put her to sleep. But when she got to the library she jumped back in surprise, when she saw William sitting at the desk.

William looked up when he heard a gasp. When he saw Dawn in her robe he immediately stood up and blushed. "Miss. Summers are you okay? What are you doing up at such a late time of night?" He may be shy but his concern for her won out over his shyness. Dawn smiled at him gently. "I am fine William, thank you. However, I am having a bit of a problem falling asleep. I just came down to see if I could get a book to read. I did not mean to disturb you." She said to him sweetly. He could not help letting a smile come to his face. "Not at all Miss. Summers. You are welcome to browse the library any time you like." He said gently. " Thank you." She said as she walked over to the book shelves.

William once again found himself nervous around her. He wanted to talk to her some more, but he wasn't sure what to say. After a moment he just said the first thing that came to mind. "Are you looking for anything in particular? Perhaps I could assist you in your search." he asked her with a smile.

'The book (s) I'm looking for are probably not an appropriate read for a girl in this time.' Dawn couldn't help but think to herself. She needed to find a way to get home, yet she couldn't let on to anyone that she really didn't have amnesia. 'And Buffy wanted me to have a normal life. Yeah like that was ever going to happen at the rate my life is going.' Dawn thought to herself sarcastically. She turned to him with what she hoped was a gentle smile. She really didn't need him picking up on her inner battle she was having with herself, that was presently going on in her head.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking for precisely. Might you have any recommendations?" She asked while giving him a smile that he just could not resist. He gave her a smile of his own. "Well do you enjoy poetry?" She looked rather flushed at his question. " I am afraid I do not read poetry that often. And when I do, the poems are usually ones that I do not understand." She answered remember that Spike had written his own poetry when he was human. Personally she like all the stories he had told her about his "Scourge of Europe" days. She could tell that he enjoyed trying to scare her, since he couldn't scare or hurt anyone the way he used to be able to. And she like hearing the stories. She knew he hadn't always been fighting on the side of good and it was something she could never hold against him, it wouldn't be fair to.

William nodded and filed that bit of information in his mind, maybe he could help her understand some poet's meaning later. "Alright lets see what else we have that might interest you, shall we?" he suggested with a gentle smile. Dawn nodded and they both began browsing the books. "Have you read Romeo and Juliet yet?" he asked her curiously. "Yes, I have. However, I don't feel like feeling sad tonight. Not when I've had such a fine day." she replied before turning back to the books. William nodded before thinking out loud. " No tragedy's today, very well.

They continued browsing the books when Dawn came to an entire section full of books that Giles or Wesley would love to get their hands on. And her curiosity got the better of her. "William may I ask you a question?" she asked him while flipping through a few pages of a vampire book, before placing it back on the shelf. " Of course Miss. Summers." He replied seriously.

Dawn smiled at him. He would have sounded just like Spike right then had he called her Nibblet or one of Spikes many pet names for her. "Please William, call me Dawn. I was only wondering as to why you have so many books on Demons, Gods, and Mythology?" William got quiet and pensive at her question. Dawn immediately felt the tension her question had caused. " I-I-I am sorry! -- You most certainly do not have to tell me if you don't want to. It is not any of my business. I should not have asked." she said quickly, trying to get the smiling happy William, she was in the company of, back. " Not at all Dawn. Your question is very reasonable. -- They belonged to my father. He was always interested in Demons and Slayers and Mythological happenings that could not be explained. -- I'm surprised out neighbors didn't think he was crazy. Dawn nodded for a moment, before she found the diaries behind a potted plant. Dawn looked at the leather Diaries and then back at William. " Your father was a Watcher, wasn't he?" she asked quietly. And William looked at her with a shocked look on his face. That look triggered a new memory she had of her and Spike.

Sunnydale 2000

Dawn locked herself in the bathroom at Giles' house. Her sister just really got on her nerves. She sighed as she sat down on the toilet cover. A deep voice broke through her thoughts. "Dawn?" asked a shocked Spike, who was chained to the tub. Dawn looked at him and smiled. She knew he was a vampire, yet she had a feeling that he wouldn't hurt her. She got up and silently walked over to the tub. She stepped into it, being careful not to hurt him and sat down in his lap. She leaned back against his chest and smiled when he tightened his arms around her waist protectively. Spike smile as the girl in his arms closed her eyes and relaxed into him. When he thought she was asleep he whispered in her ear. "I've bloody missed you luv."

Thanks to all of you who read this story. And those who reviewed thanks so much.

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Spikesbit: I'm glad you like the way I've continued this story. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. And thanks for the Luck. I'll do my best. Thanks for the review.

Candi: I'm glad you like it. Thanks for the Luck as well. Thanks for the review.

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Monkeygyrl: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story.

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Clair Starling: I'm glad you like what I've done with the story. And thank you for that note on the names. And thanks for the review

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Michelle R: Thank you for the review. I'm glad you like where I've taken the story.

I hope you all enjoy where I continue to take the story. And if at anytime you have any ideas on maybe a way I should have taken the story, please feel free to let me know. Keep the reviews coming everyone. They keep my mind running with ideas. Thanks again everyone.


	9. Chapter 8

William was watching Dawn while she flipped through his father's watchers diaries. The council had this thing about people reading the Diaries of their watchers, but for some reason he was letting her read them anyway. It was a feeling he couldn't shake. That feeling was that she was supposed to read them. Almost as if all the answers to her questions could be found in his fathers books.

Almost as if everything he had just been thinking was actually happening, he heard Dawn gasp, "oh my god." Then when he looked up he saw her drop the books and pass out. William immediately ran over to Dawn. He checked her to make sure she was okay and then lifted her and placed her on the couch near the fire place. He then walked over to the diary and picked it up, before getting the maid to get a cool cloth for Dawn. He then walked back over to her and moved a piece of hair from her face. -- After a few moments of watching her, he remembered why she had fainted. He looked at the page of the Diary he suspected had caused her to faint. At the top of the page were two words in bold lettering. **"THE KEY"**

Sunnydale 2003

Spike and Willow were still searching & hacking into data bases. The Scooby's had been researching for the past 2 days. And had yet to come up with anything. All the sudden Spike knew exactly where to look. "Bollocks." he said or more like yelled. And in a matter of seconds was out the door. All the Scooby's looked at him oddly. Giles was the first to realize what happened. "Oh dear lord."

"Now see when he says 'dear lord' nothing good ever comes from that. It can't be good now. The world is going to end for the umpteenth time." Xander tried to lighten the mood of the room with sarcasm, but was only shot with annoyed and withering stares from everyone. Xander just rolled his eyes, and slumped in his chair, waiting for Giles to get on with his explanation. As soon as everyone was looking at Giles, he sighed and wiped his glasses before he continued. "Because Dawn is in the past she is changing the future without even realizing it. It could be the slightest thing that gets changed, but we still get new memories. However, because of where she is and when she is Spike's memories are going to be the ones that change more than ours. -- My theory is that he ran out because he remembered something. However, what it was we may never know because that memory could have been at any point in time from the time Dawn is in now until this very moment we are in.

Before the group could even get shocked expressions on their faces Spike was back, due to his vampiric speed. "You got that one bloody right, Ripper." Spike said to Giles as he held up 4 watchers diaries. Giles looked at him confused. Spike saw this and said 3 words that shocked Giles even more than Dawn being in the past. "They're my fathers."

This time it was Willow who spoke up first. "What?" Spike answered, but didn't look up from one diary that he was looking through. " My father was a watcher Red. The only thing was I never knew where they were when I was alive after my father died. Dawn found them. Then passed out when she found this." he looked up and handed the diary to Giles.

Giles looked at the diary with a shocked and confused look as he read. But Spike was fuming. " How can your bloody diaries say that Dawn isn't real and my fathers can completely contradict what you bloody said. According to my father all those memories are very much real. That bit about her powers doesn't really surprise me, she always smelled of power, even more than red over there. -- What the bloody hell is gonna happen to my nibblet watcher?

London 1880

William was sitting, on a chair, in the library, next to Dawn. She hadn't awoken in an hour and a half. He was beginning to worry about her. So as he sat by her he read the entry in his fathers diary. He had heard his father mention "the Key" once, but had thought nothing of it. But as he read on he wasn't sure what had caused Dawn to faint. Had it been all the supernatural content? No that couldn't be it, she was the one who calmly asked if his father had been a watcher. Then he thought, 'what if this information was shocking on a more personal level for her?"

Just as he thought this Dawn began mumbling. "No. No. No. Buffy. Buffy I have to go. You know I do. It won't stop until it has the blood. Always the blood.-- I have to go. You know I do.-- Buffy you have to let me go. Look what's happening. It has to stop and I have to stop it.-- I love you Buffy." William watched her while she mumbled and as she began sobbing. But at the end of her mumbling she began glowing green. William jumped up and back, staring wide eyed at her. A few moments later she stopped glowing and she slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. When she saw him she smiled. William just kept looking at her not really comprehending what had happened. Then he subconsciously heard a deep voice. "It is done. Good luck young one. You will soon understand what it is you are meant to do." and then the voice was gone and the 2 continued to look at each other. William shocked and Dawn for the first time in her life content but not complete.


	10. Chapter 9

Thank you to:

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Vdarkangel88: Thank you

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Bittersweetlife100: Keep the memories coming! Got it. Mental note made.

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Me: I know but see I wanted to give the story a reason for Dawn being there and finding the diaries. Also even though his father was a watcher William/Spike never really wanted anything to do with watchers or what ever so he really doesn't know much about them he just heard them being mentioned.

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PomegranteQueen: I'll see what my muse says about a Dawn/William kiss scene & I'm glad you liked Spike's flustered ness. J

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SpikesBit: Thank you

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Candi: Thank you I'm glad you like it, but watch out time is going to be a confusing element in the story. J

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MoonAssassin13: Thank you I'm glad you like the story.

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Golden-Vampire-Goddess: Thank you I'm glad so many of you are happy that I picked up this story!!!

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Savy: Thank you I'm glad you like the story.

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ShvrMeTmbrs05: Thanks Trina. Glad you like it

A/N: If anyone has any input on what they would like to see happen let me know and I'll see what I can do.

On with the story…

Dawn smiled at William for a moment longer, then a frown grew upon her face. William had an expression of fear and worry. But she didn't know why. " William? What's wrong? Are you ok?" Dawn, slowly sat up, or tried to but soon enough she realize sitting wasn't an option at the moment. She groaned and held her head as she slowly laid herself back down on the couch. " What happened? Why does my head hurt so much?"

William got a worried look on his face. He hoped she hadn't hurt herself when she fell, or even during her…glowing…period. "Dawn? What is the matter? Are you okay?" he asked, while he walked over to her. At the moment his concern for her was winning out over his fear of what had just happened. When he got to her he knelt down on the floor and put his hand to her forehead. " Dear lord your burning up! Lay still Dawn I'll be right back." She just groaned in response.

William quickly went to the kitchen where he found the maid. "Get another cool cloth for Miss. Summers. She is burning up with a temperature. She's in the library." As soon as William had said that Dawn was burning up the maid was already getting a few cool cloths and followed William out of the kitchen. The maid went to Dawn and William went to get his mother.

When William got to his mother's bedroom door, he knocked politely yet urgently. A few moments later his mother was at the door with a worried look on her face. "What is the matter William?" she asked him concerned. "It's Dawn, she was reading one of fathers watchers diaries. I know, I know, no one but the council is supposed to read them. But she guessed that father was a watcher. Anyway she read something and passed out. She came to, a few moments ago but now she is burning up with a temperature." William said to her urgently. But he left out the part about Dawn glowing and mumbling in her sleep. He wanted to talk to Dawn about that first before he worried his mother.

"Oh, the poor dear. Come on lets go and see if we can make her more comfortable. Why don't you contact Doctor Warren and see what he suggests." she said to William as they made their way over to the library. William nodded and left Dawn to be tended by his mother and the maid, while he got a hold of the doctor.

Dawn was laying on the couch, while the maid, Margaret, was running a cool cloth over her face and over her hair. It made her eyes water. Her mother would do something similar when ever she had a fever, while waiting for the childrens Moltrin to kick in. Then she heard a voice that sounded vaguely like her mothers, but she knew it wasn't possible. Dawn turned her head slightly to get a look at who she heard. It was William's mother, Lauren. Dawn gave her a small smile, and then closed her eyes again.

"Margaret, will you please get the spare bed and set it up over there near the fire place. I do not much think that Dawn will be wanting to try to get to her up the stairs and to her room." Margaret must have nodded and left, because for a moment the cool cloth was no longer on her forehead. Dawn opened her eye just in time to see Lauren sit down, give her a gentle smile, and replace the cool cloth to her forehead. "William, is getting the Doctor's opinion. We're not sure what's wrong with you. You could have just gotten a cold, or you could have hit your head when you fell."

Dawn looked at her for a moment. "I fell? When did I fall?" Dawn asked her a little confused. Lauren looked at her concerned. "What is the last thing you do remember, my dear?" Dawn thought for a moment. "The last thing I remember is… talking to William about a book he might have recommended.-- but I remember that I couldn't help but thinking that the books that I need are probably not an expectable for a girl to be reading." Dawn answered without thinking. Lauren looked at her for a moment. "What kind of books do you need?" and before Dawn's mind even told her to stop, "I need to figure out how I got here. I don't know how to get home. And I'm not exactly an expert on time travel."

By the time Dawn finished her sentence her eyes were already closed and she was falling asleep. Not even realizing that through the pain, dizziness, and fever she had told them the one thing that she had tried to keep a secret. The one thing they shouldn't have known, or at least one of the secrets anyway. But it was a pretty big secret no the less.

Sunnydale 2003

Everyone was still researching. Now that they had an idea of what had happened to Dawn and that it was linked to the prophesy of her killing the first and her being the key, they had a place to begin looking. But all the sudden Buffy felt a something cold on her left hand. When she looked down at it she jumped, squeaked, and stared at her hand wide eyed. Staring back up at her was a 1 1/3 carat total weight Diamond Ring. The center round diamond is met on either side by a row of round diamonds along the top and sides of the smooth finished band. 14K white gold. That was accompanied by a 1/2 Carat t.w. Diamond Band channel-set round diamonds in 14K white gold.

Everyone was looking at Buffy due to her little squeak. She looked at them and then held up her left hand. "When did I get married? Better yet, who did I marry? And why on earth do I know so much about diamond rings?" she looked at them in confusion. And they looked at her ring in surprise and then they all looked at Giles. "What? I told you things were going to change, I can't control what changes, I just know that things will change." Giles said a little annoyed.


	11. Chapter 10

Lauren left Margaret to help Dawn into her night clothes, and settle her into the bed in the library. She found William sitting in the kitchen, and looking very pensive. "What's the matter dear?" She asked her son gently. William looked up to see his mother standing beside him, but looked away before answering. "Nothing mother." Lauren sighed and sat down next to her son and settled him with a stern look. " I am your mother, whether you are a 28 year old man or no, I am still your mother, and I can tell when your lying to me. Now what is the matter?"

William sighed and slid his fathers Watcher's Diary over to his mother, open to the page that he had read and had caused Dawn to faint. " You know more than I do. I was never interested in fathers Watcher Duties. I never cared about what slayer was going to pop up next. I just knew there were slayers. Apparently our house guest knows more about demons and what ever else fathers work consisted of, than I do." Lauren looked at her son for a moment. "You regret not being more involved with what he did for a living." William reluctantly nodded slightly. "But that's not all of it.-- What happened with Dawn that you are not telling me William."

William sighed and then looked up at her. " When she read that page in the diary, she fainted. And then she started mumbling in her sleep about some one named Buffy, something that wouldn't stop until it had blood, and that this Buffy had to let her go. And then she began glowing green. When she stopped glowing she woke up, and some voice, I don't know who's said something like, 'It is done. You will soon know what to do. Good luck little one.' and then all of this began taking place." The entire time that William was explaining this to his mother, Lauren was fixated with the page in front of her.

'So my husband was right. The Key would be sought out to be killed. And the only way for it to be killed is for it to be human.' Lauren thought to herself before looking in the direction of the library. 'Something wants that poor girl killed just because the monks that were protecting the key could no longer protect it.' Lauren couldn't help the tears that began coming to her eyes as she thought of the kind of life that poor girl must have been living.

"Mother? Are you alright?" Williams concerned voice broke through her thoughts. She turned back to him. "Yes, William, I am fine. But there are some things you should know about Dawn." she said calmly. William sighed and leaned back in his chair very ungentlemanly like. "She's evil. Why do I always take a liking to the girls that I can not even get a chance with." Lauren couldn't help but smile at her sons depression. She did hope that Dawn liked her son as much as William liked her. William deserved some happiness after Cecily rejected his interest in her.

"Well then it is a good thing that our Dawn is not evil, now you can continue on with your liking of her." Lauren couldn't help but add a tiny teasing note to her declaration. "She is not evil?" William asked her cautiously, yet with a tinge of hope. "Not at all. In fact quite the opposite. You see when your father was a watcher, the council had began talking that if the monks that were taking care of "The Key" they would have to place it in the possession of the appointed slayer of the time. You see The Key is What holds of the worlds good together. It is the purest form of good you will ever find. So naturally all things that are evil are going to want The Key eliminated. So the council and the monks agreed that they would have to disguise it. So to do that they agreed that they would put it into human form as someone the slayer could and would protect. The most logical would be to give the slayer a younger sister." She paused for a moment to let William take in what she was saying. "So why would that cause Dawn to faint?" William asked her confused.

"You said that she was glowing after reading this, and she knew when she saw these that your father was a watcher. The only way for her to know and do all of this is if she was in close relations with a slayer or a watcher. You said that she was mumbling about something to someone named Buffy. All slayers are female only. I'm guessing that Dawn is in fact the little sister of a slayer. And that would make her The Key in human form." William looked at his mother while he thought about what she was saying. All the pieces seemed to fit into place. The only thing that didn't fit was why she was here. Lauren could read her sons question in his eyes. " She is here from a different time William. When I was talking to her a little while ago, her fever caused her to slip about time travel. And the only thing I can think of is that The key in her knew she was in danger from something evil and sent her somewhere it knew she would be safe. I'm assuming that the glowing she was doing was her accepting her responsibility of being the key."

William sat there in shock. Someone wanted Dawn dead just because she was formed to carry The Key inside of her for the rest of her life. He looked at his mother and then at his fathers diary. " So What happens now?" Lauren didn't want o have to say what she was going to say next, but she had no other ideas. "We find a way to send her home so that her sister can protect her." Lauren answered her son sadly.

Little did they know that Dawn had managed to get her self up. She needed to use the bathroom and then went to get a glass of water. Tears began coming to her eyes at the thought of Buffy dieing for her again. Dawn leaned her head against the hall wall and closed her eyes and watched her sister jump of the tower for her one more time. When she opened her eyes again her face was now covered in her silent sobs. Over the years since Buffy had come back she had learned how to sob silently, so that so one would worry about her. But the one person she could never seem to hide her crying from was Spike. And apparently even now she wasn't going to be able to hide them, because the next thing she heard was… "Dawn?" a concerned voice came from the distance, and then William rounded the corner and saw her. "Dawn, what is the matter?" he asked again concerned as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Dawn lowered her head for a moment to try to stop her tears, but when she closed them she saw her sister flying of the tower again. She let out a heart wrenching sob and collapsed into Williams arms.

William held Dawn close while she cried and looked up at his mother. She had her hand over her mouth trying not to cry at the sight of the torn girl crying in her sons arms. All three were like that for a little longer. Once Dawn's crying slowed down, she spoke in a tone that neither William or Lauren had ever imagined they'd hear coming from her. "I will let what ever damn evil that is after me to kill me before I let Buffy die for me again." Dawn said through clenched teeth. After she said that William just held her tighter. And Dawn was reminded of when Spike would hold just like this the summer after Buffy had died. And with that thought Dawn buried her head farther into Williams chest.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N:** This is the last chapter that I will be jumping back from London1880 to Sunnydale2003 (memories not included). At least until later in the plot. From now on only London 1880 and Dawn and William goodness. Hope you enjoy it!!

**Chapter 11**

**Sunnydale 2003**

The second that Giles finished talking the front door, of the Summers home opened, and any previous statements made were forgotten. " In here guys!" Buffy called out, not looking up from the book she was reading. When she heard the two she looked up and smiled. Both her guys had scowls on their faces and were covered in demon goop.

"Mom, it's not funny." Connor said sounding very perturbed by his mothers smile. "I'm sorry sweetie your right. Why Don't you get those clothes in the laundry and washed up. And if needed then I'll go on bandage duty." Connor nodded and went up stairs.

:Nothing yet?" Angel asked Buffy while he gave her a small kiss, while trying not to get her covered in goop. Buffy sighed, wanting to lean into her husband for comfort, but not wanting to get all messy either. "No, not yet. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Don't worry about it if she's with William and his mother, she will be fine. When William was turned he didn't want to bite his mother. He will take care of her." Angel said reassuringly, while sending spike a worried glance. It wasn't William the Bloody that worried Angel. It was Angelus , Drusilla, and Darla. And he could tell by the look in his grandchilde's eyes that he was thinking the same thing.

Just then Connor came barreling down the stairs, hair wet and dressed in his pajama bottoms and a white tank top. "Your turn for the shower, dad!" he said as he went to the basement to throw his dirty laundry in the wash.

Angel nodded and went upstairs to change and shower. Moments later Connor returned to the living room. He sat next to his mom and picked up a book, then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and a tight, reassuring hug. "Love you, mom." Buffy smiled at her 18 yr old son and smiled. "Love you too, sweetie."

And the group got back to researching, Angel joining them when he was done cleaning up after patrol.

**London 1880**

William just sat there holding Dawn until she cried herself to sleep in his arms. He then picked her up and carried her to her room. As Dawn slept she began dreaming of her and Spike.

* * *

Angel and Buffy dropped Dawn off at Spike's crypt while they went patrolling. Baby Connor was at home with his Aunt's Willow, Tara, and Anya and Uncle Xander and Grandpa Giles and Grandma Joyce.

Spike was watching passions and Dawn was doing her home work. "Bloody hell kiss her already!" Spike yelled at the T.V., Dawn just chuckled and shook her head in amusement. She still found it hard to believe that this bad ass vampire was watching passions never mind watched on a regular bases and didn't hesitate to use the show as an excuse to be back at his crypt at a certain time. "Spike they can't hear you, but I can." she said with a smile as she held up her algebra book. "Sorry Luv." he said with an apologetic smile.

Dawn went back to trying to finish the last two problems of her math homework. She could feel Spike's eyes on her, so she laid on her stomach and wiggled her bum as if trying to get comfortable, on the couch. Then all of the sudden he picked her up in his arms and kissed her. When they pulled apart, Dawn had a shocked look on her face so Spike set her back on her feet. "Sorry about that, luv. I … I … guess I just…" Dawn smiled at his nervousness and cupped the back of his neck and brought his head down and kissed him. She could feel Spike's surprise radiating off of him before he returned the kiss. When they pulled apart Dawn smiled at him. "Surprised me is all. Doesn't mean I didn't want you to kiss me." she said, and watched as a smile grew on his face. And then they were kissing again, to the joy of them both.

* * *

As Dawn continued dreaming, it was all little snippets of her and Spike's many kisses, but nothing else.

When Dawn woke up she smile. There was William asleep in a chair, four feet away from her. Then the day before played through her mind and she prayed that their relationship wouldn't change. She had begun finding herself falling even deeper for the human version of Spike.

"William." Dawn called quietly, not wanting to startle him. She watched as he slowly began to stir. Then she saw those blue eyes that she loved so much. "Morning." she said smiling at him. "Hope I didn't scare you to much yesterday." He could tell she was nervous. " It's quite alright, Dawn." she smiled at him and them found her bed spread very interesting. He wanted to comfort her, but it was not appropriate, especially for the location they were in.

"Perhaps we should skip the ball this year. You have been through quite a bit in the past few days." William suggested calmly. Dawn's head shot up to look at him, she tried to keep the tears from gathering in her eyes. " You don't want me to accompany you to the ball anymore, do you?" William was startled by the emotion he saw in her eyes and heard in her voice.

"Dawn that is not…" But she interrupted him. "No . It's fine. Wouldn't be the first time someone looked at me strange after they found out what I am." Dawn jumped out of her bed, found her jeans, t-shirt, bra, and panties in her Armour, grabbed them and left the room.

Dawn ran through the house until she came to the door that William hadn't shown her where it lead to, during her tour. She put her hand over the door knob, instinctively, and made the palm of her hand glow. When she heard a click she opened the door and walked in. she locked the door behind her. When she turned around again, she couldn't have been happier at what she saw. A training room. She changed into her clothes relatively quickly considering she didn't have her corset on.

Dawn dug into her jeans pocket and pulled out and elastic. Her hair was up in record time and she got down to dealing with her emotions the only way she knew how. Training.


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. 11th grade is a pain. So I'll try updating when I can, but due to school and homework and life itself it may take me a little while from here to there. Anyway here is the next chapter hope you like it.

Chapter 12

The next day, Dawn snuck out of the training room a few hours before the house woke up. She walked into the kitchen and quietly looked through the room for something to eat. "Cereal would just be to easy, wouldn't it?" Dawn said to herself. Dawn found some eggs and just began cooking. She began cooking eggs, bacon, and French toast. She grabbed grabbed the leftover bread from last nights dinner, some butter, eggs, milk, sugar, and cream. "Oh man! You mean I have to make the confectionary sugar?!" she groaned as she began grounding the sugar into powder.

William, Lauren & Margaret walked in on Dawn mumbling and cooking. They all kind of stood there watching her cook breakfast in her jeans & t-shirt. William thought she looked kind of cute with her hair up and flour on her face , in her hair, and along her arms. The fact that she was in the kitchen was enough of a surprise. They had spent the rest of yesterday looking for her. And then had spent the rest of the day at home, waiting for her to come back. Eventually the had fallen to sleep for the night. Lauren finally spoke up. "Dawn, dear, where have you been?" she asked curiously and worried at the same time. Dawn looked up in surprise.

She blushed a little when she saw William, but answered none the less. "It is a Summers tradition. You get upset you train to the point that you can not move. And then you do something completely out of the ordinary. Hence, me cooking breakfast.-- I'm sorry if I worried you yesterday, it was not my intention. I just needed some time to myself." she said the last part quietly, before returning to her cooking and mumbling. As they looked at her in relief, that she was safe, and surprise, that she mentioned one of her traditions in her family, that to them sounded completely preposterous, Dawn finished cooking breakfast. Dawn motioned for them to sit and brought over the eggs, bacon, French toast, and homemade sugar syrup, that she made from ground sugar, some milk, and a little cream.

"Dawn, this is delicious!" Lauren exclaimed, William and Margaret nodded in agreement. Dawn blushed again. "Thank you. My sister and I can cook we just don't like to. And Angel, Connor, and Spike don't push for home cooked meals so we just don't cook." Everyone just looked at Dawn. "What?" Dawn asked curiously and a little nervously. "Who are they?" William asked politely. Dawn smiled as realization dawned on her. "Oh! Angel is my sisters husband, Connor is her son, and Spike is family." Dawn said coolly, leaving out the part that she and Spike were technically dating. She didn't want to bring it up because she wasn't sure if she was getting home anytime soon. They nodded at the explanation. But just the mention of Spike's name brought back all the memories of the dances the attended together. The three noticed Dawns eyes get distant and her become quiet.

* * *

Dawn was sitting at one of the tables with Spike, watching everyone dance. She knew Spike didn't dance so it wasn't a big deal. She was just happy he had agreed to come to her semi-formal without putting up to much of a fuss.

Spike had come in his usual colors. Black and blood red, only he was more dressed up. And she was wearing a simple, plain, yet attractive, black dress. Then a slow song came on and all the sudden Spike was pulling her up to the dance floor. "Spike?" she asked him a little confused. He just smirked and pulled her to the dance floor. She understood when Spike pulled her close and began moving back and forth to the music. Dawn smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder.

More or less the same thing had happened during her Sophomore semi-formal as well. Except, that night they danced every single slow dance. This time Spike dressed up in all black, except for his dark green tie, that Buffy had had to threaten to stake him, to get him to wear it. His tie matched the color of her dress. This year her dress was long, fitting, and flowing with spaghetti straps. Her hair was in tight, yet loose, curls that draped around her shoulders. Spike had stopped dead in his tracks when he had seen her.

* * *

Dawn smiled when she thought of the dances her and Spike had had such good times at, but then she got sad, when she thought about her dress sitting at home awaiting to be worn at her junior prom. And at the rate this journey was going, she wasn't going to be wearing that dress or going to her junior prom with Spike anytime soon.

"Dawn? Are you alright, dear?" Lauren asked quietly when she noticed that Dawn had gone completely silent. Dawn nodded. " Yeah. I was just thinking, that I will not be going to my Junior prom." Lauren lightened a little at the mention of, what she assumed was, a dance. William, on the other hand was no sitting up straighter than before, if that was possible. "Who was accompanying you?" William asked as casually as he could. Margaret and Lauren smiled at the sound in his voice. " Spike." William calmed a little at the mention of a family member accompanying dawn to a social event.

"Then we should get you a copy of your dress to wear to the ball, so you do not feel as though you have missed an important event." Dawn's eyes widened at the mention of her dress. "Somehow, I do not believe my dress would go over well in 1880 London." Dawn said to them nervously. They looked at her oddly. "What do you mean, dear?" Lauren asked. "Somehow, I do not think wearing a corset top in 1880 is appropriate." Their eyes widened. "Well, what do you wear over your corset?" Margaret stuttered. Dawn blushed again. '19th century London seems to have that effect on me.' she thought to herself. "Nothing." she answered Margaret quietly. They looked at her with shocked expressions. " What? It's the 21st century!! Things are different then!!" Dawn exclaimed desperately.

* * *

After breakfast, Dawn changed back into her 1880 London clothing, so that she could sit out in the garden. When she got out there she found a quiet place near the water fountain, to sit. After a while of sitting there, she got the same feeling she always got whenever Spike was behind her. So without looking up she spoke. "Hello William." After she spoke she heard footsteps. Then he just stood beside her. Dawn looked up at him and smiled. She pulled on his hand and he sat down next to her. "I was not trying to imply that I did not want you to accompany me to the ball." he said nervously. Dawn sighed. "I know. But I'm a Summers girl. We tend to over react at things that may or may not exist. But if we think they do, we just want to make sure it can't hurt us. Especially, when the situation involves those we care for. Blame it on my father. I think my sister and I have father issues." Dawn looked down at her lap.

William wanted to comfort the girl that was hurt by her fathers actions and the girl he had hurt unintentionally, all at the same time. He put his hand over hers in a way to comfort her. She smiled up at him, one of her ear to ear smiles, that caused his insides to move around nervously. "Would you please give me the honor of accompanying me to the ball this weekend?" William asked her shyly. "I would love to. Thank you William." and with that she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. She lingered for a little moment. Both blushed like crazy when she pulled away. Yet, they had smiles on their faces that would allow anyone to see how happy they were around one another.


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: Hello, I had some free time, so I thought I would put up another chapter since you all have been so great about the time between updates. I really am sorry about that, but school is really a hassle when trying to update a story. Anyway here is chapter 13.

Chapter 13

Dawn was walking around the house, not really knowing what to do. William was out for the day. And Lauren and Margaret were taking care of house hold responsibilities, and refused to let her help. She went to the library to look for something to do. When she couldn't find anything she slumped down in a chair and sighed. "I never thought I would miss Giles telling me to alphabetize his books at the magic box." She said to herself as she sighed. When she thought of Giles, she thought of Buffy. Buffy trained. She got up and headed to her room to change into her jeans and t-shirt. "Great, I'm going to turn into the Buffy of 1880, if I don't watch out." she mumbled as she ascended the stairs.

Dawn descended the stairs, ready to train, just in time for William and a friend to come through the front door. As much as she wanted to see William, she also knew how inappropriate it was for men to see females dressed in the clothing she was dressed in. so she ran to the training room door. She opened it the same way she had before. Then locked it as she got inside. She looked around the room for the first time. Upon her exploration she found incense. She smirked and picked them up and walked to the middle of the room. She lit the incense and began meditating to help get a new control on what ever powers she would be coming upon.

* * *

After William's friend had left, he went in search of Dawn. He had wanted to see her all day. When he couldn't find her, he looked for his mother to see if she knew where Dawn might have been. Lauren looked at her son, but then remembered something Dawn had said. "I think I may know exactly were she is." she said to her son smirking at the thought. Lauren got the room key from the desk draw and lead her son to the training room door. When they walked in, they saw Dawn. Meditating. Floating. 1ft off the ground. And there were small balls of green glowing energy floating around her. Almost as though creating a barrier between Dawn and anyone out to hurt her or the key. They just stood there watching her in amazement as such a young girl controlled such and ancient power.

* * *

Dawn had sensed them come in. She kept her head clear, and lowered herself to the floor and put away the power that was flowing through her. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at them. "I take it I have more control over my powers than I had first thought." she said sounding a little amused. She rose from her place on the floor and then picked up the incense on the floor. "Have you been meditating long?" Lauren asked her, breaking the amazed silence that had been coming from William and herself. "No. I do, however, sit in on my sisters training sessions and I've read some books on it as well." Dawn answered casually. When the three left the training room, they began talking about training. The differences and similarities from 1880 training and 2004 training. All where surprised to hear that it wasn't that different, just maybe with more updated weapons and equipment. When William gave her a present and told her to open it later, she decided that she would open it in the peace on the night while praying that the ball went well tomorrow.

Then all the sudden something dawned on her about tomorrows ball. She didn't know how to dance. When she told Lauren, William, and Margaret they all immediately began teaching her simple dances and slowly, yet steadily, moving on to more complicated dances. By the time, dinner time came around everyone felt confident that Dawn would be able to convince anyone at the ball that she was from 1880 London.

Dawn and William were still coming down from the high of dancing together and holding onto each other. Dawn wished she could just take him to the bronze and have a good time with him and sit in his lap and have him hold her without any questions of inappropriateness. But she knew that she couldn't so she would learn to play by the rules of 1880. Out side of the house anyway. William on the other hand, had feeling he wasn't sure he understood. He had never felt this way. And some of his thoughts had strayed to those of being inappropriate, yet he couldn't seem to help himself. Dawn just brought out the side of him that he was always just afraid to show.

Later that night Dawn was sitting in the library in front of the fire place. She was gazing into the flames and occasionally would look down to her lap and write something down in a journal, William had gotten her, earlier that day. William watched her for a few moments from the door way. She looked as though she was glowing from the light of the flames. Her hair was down and flowing beautifully straight over her shoulders and sown her back. When she caught him standing there, she smiled at him and motioned for him to come in and sit down. He smiled and sat down in the chair to her left.

"Would you mind if I asked you what you were writing about?" William asked cautiously. Dawn smiled at him and handed him her journal. "Not at all."

**__**

Life in 1880 London

A world that, although new, welcomes me with open arms. A world where darkness exists but doesn't consume. A world where acceptance is more welcomed by others. A world where strangers become friends, family, and loved ones. A world where I'm not Buffy's little sister. A world where I'm just me. A world where no one questions my capability. A world where I do not feel like an outsider. A world were life is as normal as I never thought it could be. A world where no matter what I do, I don't feel excluded or in the way.

A WORLD WHERE I AM AT PEACE WITH MYSELF AND WHO AND WHAT I AM.

When William finished reading what she had wrote, he looked up at her with a questioning look on his face. She smiled at him and leaned closer to him. "I am the slayers younger sister. She will not let me help with research. I can not patrol with her, and my life is supposed to be normal. She does not want me involved with the supernatural or the death of the life she lives. I don't know. Yet, what she doesn't understand is that I will always be the Key, I will always have power. That doesn't bother me. Yet I do want to be able to mix both parts of my life together equally. Be who and what I really am and have a normal life at the same time. I know it's possible, my sister does it all time. Even if she thinks she doesn't." Dawn sighed and looked into the fire place.

William watched Dawn look into the fireplace as though still trying to figure out what was still going on in her life. He saw the inner struggle she was having with herself. He wasn't sure was it was about, but all he wanted to do was comfort her and tell her that he would help her how ever he could and that everything would be okay. But somewhere in the pit of his stomach he had a feeling that not everything was going to be okay. He slowly and gently reached for her hand and squeezed it gently to reassure her that he was there for her. Dawn looked at him and smiled before turning her gaze back to the fireplace. A few moments later he to was looking into the fireplace, and he found her head placed on his shoulder while they sat there in a comfortable silence.

**A/N:** Hope you like the chapter and where I'm taking the story. Please read and review. Next chapter, ….THE BALL!!!!


	15. Chapter 14

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* * *

A/N: **Hey everyone, sorry it took me so long to get this update up. I had all these ideas but I couldn't seem to get the right words down. So after many arguments with myself I think I got what I wanted to say through in the writing. So I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think.

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Chapter 14

(The Ball Part One)

* * *

Dawn woke up to the sound of people moving throughout the house. Dawn climbed out of bed with a groan. She walked over to the door and opened it. When she opened the door, she found William standing there with his shirt off. But, because she has seen Spike without a shirt on a million times, she didn't really notice. Alright she did but she knew if she said anything that she would never see William with his shirt off again. She did, however notice that William blush, which told her that he had not intended for her to catch him with his shirt off. " What the Bloody hell time is it?" She asked with another groan and leaned against the door. William looked at her with a shocked expression. When it dawned on her why he was looking at her like that, she smirked at him. "Sorry. Blame Spike. He's English, and swears all the time. Kind of hard not to catch on when you live around three Englishmen. Spike says 'Bloody hell.' Wesley says 'Ahh', 'Mmm', and 'Hmm', or 'oh my.' And Giles enjoys saying 'oh do shut up' or ' oh dear lord.' You become accustomed to every saying from Europe around those three."

* * *

William smiled at Dawn's imitations of her friends and family. She was so cute when she got annoyed with them, too. "It is guessed to be 7:30 in the morning." William said with a small smirk at the tiredness present on her face. Her hair was still a little messy from her nights sleep, but she still looked, as beautiful as ever, to him. Dawn groaned when she heard what time it was. " I only get up this early for school. It is a Saturday, therefore everyone is supposed to sleep in. It is like a law." Dawn muttered on incredulously about the time as she walked back into her room, leaving the door open, and making her bed. William just chuckled. " Mother will be in soon to help you begin getting ready for this evening." Dawn muttered a thank you and waved as she fell back onto her bed. William chuckled again and left to get ready for the rest of his day until it was time to dress of the ball.

* * *

Dawn was surprised to see just how much the people in the house had become accustomed to her 2004 habits. William had even began taking off his shirt and still walk around the house. Dawn smiled at the thought as she laid on her bed. She was seeing more of Spike everyday in William. Yet when she remembered certain time with Spike, she would see him act like William. She loved seeing the two sides of the them in both. She loved seeing William in Spike and Spike in William. Which ultimately made sense, since they were the same person. But William was afraid to let the "Spike" in him show, just as Spike was afraid to let the "William" in him show. Dawn didn't mind which side of them came through, she loved every part of them.

Dawn shook her head at the confusing thoughts going through her mind. But any further thinking was interrupted by Lauren and Margaret coming into her room. The two had the entire day planned. When to wash. When to do hair. When to dress. When to accessorize. When and what to eat. And of course when to leave.

That was easy enough, Dawn washed after the plan was reviewed. There was a simple, clean breakfast after that. Hair was done before lunch . A simple, clean sandwich was for lunch. Dressing was 1 hour after lunch. And they were on their way now.

* * *

William noticed Dawn fidgeting nervously with the hem of her shawl. William grabbed one of her hands and held it, to calm her nerves. He knew she was worried about what everyone would think of her. Or if she could pull off the act of being from 1880.Everyone had already agreed that if anyone asked, Dawn was the daughter of a friend of the family from a small private area in Wales.

William also noticed that even though he was holding her hand she was still on nerves about something. But he had a feeling that, this time, it had nothing to do with that ball. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw her looking around outside, through the carriage window. " Dawn are you alright?" he asked her worriedly. Dawn looked at him closely, for a moment. "William promise me that you won't go wondering around outside this evening." she said in all seriousness. He looked at her very confused. " Dawn I am a grown man, I can take care of myself. -- But why do you wish me to promise you that?" Dawn looked at him desperately. " I am well aware that you can take yourself, but please. In my time there was said to be something bad that happened this evening. And I do not know how me being here may have changed that event. But if I have changed it, I do not want you caught op in it. Do you understand what I am trying to say?" Dawn nearly pleaded with him. He nodded slowly. "okay, no wondering the streets. I promise." "Thank you." she said sounding relieved. Then she leaned against him and put her head on his shoulder.

* * *

As Dawn rested before the ball, she hoped he believed her about the story she had just given him. She wasn't about to tell him that he became a vampire on this very night. She couldn't tell him he became one of the evilest creatures for over a century. She just couldn't. But she couldn't let it happen either. She cared for him to much.

* * *

William replayed her request over and over again in his head. He had a feeling she was hiding something, but he wasn't sure what. He tightened his hold on her hand and glanced at his mother, who shook her head in response, to his unvoiced question. She had no idea what Dawn had been talking about either.

When they arrived at the ball, all 3 took a deep breath, for completely different reasons. Lauren, because she hoped her son would not be an idiot and follow Cecile around all evening. William, to steady his nerves and mind at the thought of someone figuring out Dawn was from more than just a different country. And Dawn breathed a heavy sigh because she was made from her sister. And because she was made from her sister, she had slayer senses. She had barley noticed them when she had first gotten them. But over time, they had increased. And at that very moment, the combination of her enhanced slayer senses and key power she could tell that Angelus, Darla, and Drusilla were close by.


	16. Chapter 15 and An Authors Note

A/N: Sorry for the wait. I have been going though some stuff that has just made me depressed and sad and i just didn't feel like doing anything. But i am now trying to get myself out of that rut and will hopefully start updating more often. In the mean time please just be patient with me. Thanks for sticking with the story and with me through all my crazy events that occur in my life. Anyway, Here's the 2nd part to "The Ball," hope you enjoy!!!

Chapter 15

(The Ball Part Two)

Dawn had walked in with Lauren And William followed. She sensed many eyes on her . But two sets of gazes stuck out the most.. She could feel Williams gaze, that sent tingles to her belly. And the gaze of Angelus. The very gaze that had made her want to puck, 3 years ago, when Angel had lost his soul. She silently swore to herself, but let nothing show of her uneasiness to the people she was meeting and greeting. But in the back of her mind that vampires, especially the three in question, could tell everything that you were feeling just by sharpening there senses. There was no need for them to even have to look at you. She also knew how Angelus functioned, she would have to be on her guard tonight, but not so much that the people around her would notice. That was the one good thing that came from being the slayers sister. You learned to disguise your feelings, whether it was to keep a secret or to keep you alive.

* * *

After some time into the ball, Dawn and William, were sitting down and having a conversation, when all of the sudden Cecile came over. "William?" 'She was surprised to see him apparently.' Dawn thought to herself. 'Or maybe it's because he hasn't been following her around all evening. Oh my god her and Cordelia could find so many things to talk about, for that I am sure.' After a moment Dawn realized what she had said. 'Oh my word, I am becoming an 1880 London Lady. Oh how I miss MTV.' Dawn secretly sighed to herself, but then smiled when she heard William. "Cecile." William acknowledged her politely. 'About bloody time!' Dawn heard a voice, that sounded suspiciously like Spike, in the back of her mind, as she witnessed William completely ignore Cecile. Dawn remembered stories Spike had told her about how much of a bitch Cecile could be to William. Which meant that, right off the bat Dawn didn't like her. Dawn felt like she was could do a victory dance, which she did, internally of course, at the look on Cecile's face as William turned back to her. " I would not become to friendly with him. He will follow you around everywhere you go. And write this god awful poetry that "expresses his feelings" for you." Cecile said snootily to Dawn. Dawn, in turn, mentally rolled her eyes. 'oh yeah, because the guys in the 21st century open up so much. And having a guy who actually talks to you is such a bad thing , because?' Dawn smirked at William and then turned to Cecile. "Do tell me Cecile, Why would a kind man following me around all the time be such a tragic occurrence?" Dawn asked innocently. Cecile looked at Dawn like she was ready to explode. She glared at Dawn and turned on her heal and walked away in a huff. 

William looked between Cecile and a smirking Dawn . " I assumed I have missed something?" Dawn chuckled and nodded. "She is what my sister calls "The Cordelias." Girls who enjoy attention even if the attention is from someone they treat rather meanly. As long as they are the center of the attention, or at least they think they are." William smiled at her, what she said made perfect sense. And he made up his mind then and there.

William pulled out a small box from his pocket. When Dawn gave him a confused look, he opened the box and revealed a cross, made of Dark green jewels and gold casings and a gold necklace. Dawn gasped when she saw it. "My father gave this to my mother when he asked if he could court her. She gave it to me after he died and told me to give this to the woman I wished to court. -- Dawn Summers, would you allow me to court you?" He asked her nervously. Dawn smiled a watery smile at him and nodded. "Yes, William. Yes, you may court me." William smiled and removed the necklace from its case. Dawn turned around and let him clasp the necklace, as she gently lifted her long hair. When she turned around she smiled at William and held his hand.

* * *

Lauren saw the two from across the room. It was in this moment she was thrilled she had decided to get Dawn the light, pearl green, colored dress. The necklace matched the dress fabulously. As she watched the two together she was reminded of how much they reminded her of herself and her late husband, Nathaniel, when they had first fallen in love. In that moment she saw Nathaniel appear and look at his son and his girl. He smiled at them. Then he looked straight at her and nodded with a loving smile. And just as he disappeared she heard him say, "Do watch out for them Lauren. They were made for each other. But they have one hell of a journey ahead of them." 

Lauren nodded in a silent understanding of what her husband had meant. She, however, did not know that the very minute she agreed the powers changed a small piece of her that would change a lot of things to come. She smiled sadly but happily at the same time as she said a silent prayer for him. The rest of the night she mingled and watched her son and the girl who would soon be her daughter-in-law, laugh and truly enjoy each others company. But most of all she saw the love in their eyes that was directed to the other.

* * *

That night when they got back to the house William escorted Dawn to her room and kissed her goodnight. Dawn happily returned the kiss. After William left Dawn to prepare for bed and some sleep, Dawn smiled to herself and fingered her necklace. She had done it. William hadn't been turned into a vampire and she wasn't going home anytime soon. She was home. Here with her new family and new boyfriend. "Don't worry about me Buff. I'm safe and loved. I miss all of you . But someday when I am ready I'll find my way back to you guys." And with that Dawn fell asleep. 

**A/N: And for being so patient and wonderful, i will tell you that even though right now it sounds as though this will be a Dawn and William story, it is going to end in a Dawn and Spike relationship. so to all my dawn/william fans enjoy it while its here cause dawn will be reunited with spike eventually.**

**thanks JenaMariano**


	17. Chapter 16

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Chapter 16: (Interlude)

After William& Dawn began courting, Dawn explain as much as she could, about what she was and what she could do. It was agreed that she would continue to practice her powers in the training room. She did , however, leave out any detail about Spike. And in an odd way even though she saw William everyday she missed Spike. And any thoughts about the day she finally returned home, she knew he wouldn't be there to great her, which would always hurt a great deal no matter how many times she thought about it and tried to get over it. There was one thing that seemed to dull the pain, but increase the confusion in her mind. Even though Spike shouldn't be there anymore, she still got new memories of him everyday.

* * *

On the day of her wedding, when Dawn was 18, she had the best memory of Spike. When they "first" met, when she was fourteen, he pulled her to him and kissed her full on the mouth. She still didn't know why she had memories of him, but she was happy that she could still remember him. She loved William, but she loved Spike too. And she hoped that one day she would see him again. But for now she had William. The man she had seen in Spike so many times.

* * *

When Dawn was 19 she found out she was pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby boy 2 months after her 20th birthday. Michael William was born August 27, 1884. Danielle Elizabeth was born January 13, 1886. And Andrew Rupert was born December 3, 1886. And on July 7, 1887 William didn't come home one night.

* * *

AN: I **_SOOO _**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been i a bit of a rut lately. but i hope that i can make up for it. just as a little warning the chapter from here on out are going to take me a little while to write because they are going to get a little confusing. So i have to be able to understand them myself and i will also do my best to keep them as unconfusing as possible for all of you. anyway i hope you guys stick with the story, don't worry i do plan on finishing it just don't be surprised if i throw a few surprises and twists into the mix. anyway i hope you all had and continue to have a happy and safe holiday season!!!


	18. Chapter 17

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Chapter 17

Dawn came down stairs from putting her babies to bed. She sat down next to Lauren and sighed. "What am I going to do, Lauren?" Dawn asked her mother-in-law shakily. Lauren put a hand on her Daughter-in-law's shoulder and the other on her still flat stomach. " Don't worry dear, you know what has happened to him and you know what you have to do." Lauren said soothingly. Dawn nodded and closed her eyes. " I trust him with my life, but I will not let Angelus anywhere near my children. -- Lauren, will you come with me?" Lauren nodded. "We'll make it look like were going to live with your family because of his death." Dawn nodded solemnly as a couple tears rolled down her face. Lauren rubbed her daughters back soothingly.

* * *

Dawn lie on the on the bed she shared with William and cried herself to sleep. As she slept she dreamt of husband, the vampire he was now, and the vampire he would become. She woke up with a start at the sound of her baby crying. Dawn ran to Andrew's room and picked him up to shush him back to sleep. She strolled into Michael's room and then Danielle's to check on them. It was in her daughter's room that she found her husband looking in through the window. Mind you all the bedrooms were on the second floor. His eyes were yellow and his face was rigid.

* * *

He looked at her with sad eyes as he watched her rock his youngest son to sleep. He felt a pang in his chest as he saw tears run down her face. She slowly walked up to the window and placed her hand on the windowpane. He placed his hand over hers on the other side of the pane of glass. He knew she was letting him go to let him learn how he had to live now. He also knew she was letting him go because she loved him. His babies were safe with her and his mother. He also knew she could take care of herself. He felt Angelus, Darla, and Drusilla were closing in; he looked ever his shoulder to make sure he had a few moments. When he looked back at her, she nodded sadly. "Go, you have to learn how to survive to be able to watch over your children from afar. Don't look at me like that; I know you won't force your children to live a life you have to, now. I could try and convince you all I wanted that everything would be okay, but you wouldn't change your mind. Just remember, you are my husband and I love you William and so do your babies." She finished in a choked up voice. His super hearing picked up on her sadness that he knew she was trying to keep under control so as not to wake the sleeping baby in her arms. Andrew had always been able to pick up on her feelings and they both knew if sensed she was sad he would have the whole house up in a matter of moments. He didn't quite have his powers under control yet, but he could control them enough to sense her emotions. "I will see you again, Pet." He lingered for a minute and then sadly went off into the night.

* * *

"I know you will, William. But for now my children will learn to defend themselves, before we live in Sunnydale." Dawn whispered into the night as she held her son. Dawn smiled down at her little boy as he slowly opened his eyes as though he knew she needed to look into his eyes right then. His ice blue eyes that were so much like his father's. "Don't worry, one day Daddy will be back and he will be daddy again. Until then you, your brother and your sister have to learn how to defend yourselves and learn about the part of you that I gave you. And unfortunately you can't do that in this dimension." Andrew looked up at her with the most trusting gaze she had ever seen. HE was going to be her little boy, a little mama's boy just like his sister was a little daddy's girl, she could tell already.

* * *

Dawn stayed up the rest of the night watching over her children, and coming up with a plan. Lauren found Dawn in the Library doing research. Lauren had Andrew in her arms. "Danielle and Michael are watching Margaret cook." Lauren said calmly as she handed Andrew to Dawn to feed him his breakfast. "I don't want to go to Sunnydale yet. I know a dimension that we will all be safe and they will have the proper time to be able to control any powers that I gave them. And I know I did I can feel it every time I'm around them. Plus they also need to learn how to defend them selves against the evil in the world if I don't succeed in what I have to do when we get back to Sunnydale. And if any of my children are like their father then they won't just stay home and not fight if I die." Dawn said Lauren distantly.

* * *

Lauren nodded; she knew her Daughter-in-Law was right. William wouldn't have stayed home and done nothing if she had died at any point in her life here in London. And from what Dawn had secretly told her about Spike, he would be raging mad if she died. Lauren herself knew a bit about vampires, and the way the vampires acted after they were turned was due to the influence their sires had on them, and the suppressed personalities they had before they were turned. So the thought of her grandchildren being anything like either William or Spike would not be surprising. Her and Dawn had always secretly talked about this. How she had kept such a secret, as becoming a vampire, from her son was beyond her. But both she and Dawn had suspected that William was always meant to become a vampire, even if Dawn had intervened that one time. And due to that suspicion of them had two plans. Depending on the age of the children there was: **_Plan A: _**If the children are older then they would travel straight to Sunnydale. **_Plan B:_** If the children were to young, then Dawn would find a dimension that they and the children would be safe in, until the children were old enough to defend themselves in Sunnydale, California.


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update, i've just been a little off lately, as well as a little writers block, through in tones of homework and a term paper and you have my life right now. anyway i'm sure you don't want to hear about that so on with the story! review please!

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Chapter 18**

After all of the pretenses had be dealt with; the funeral, the legal complications, etc.; they were free to "move." The Funeral for William Michael Carinton was held on July 13, 1887, after the authorities had officially reported that they couldn't find him and that odds were he was dead. The Carinton's Lawyer and family friend had written up a document that stated that Margaret's family and descendants were to live in Carinton Manor and the Lawyer's family; the Carlyle's; would keep ownership of it until either Lauren and Dawn came back to live or a descendant of William and Dawn Carinton came to claim it. It was also stated that should a descendant claim such that he/she had to have physical proof that they were related.

The people of the London Community who knew the Carinton's, and that was a lot of people, sent them their regards and parting gifts for their journey to Dawn's "family." Mr. Carlyle bought them their train tickets and said if they ever needed anything to just ask. Dawn knew she needed help, but he definitely was not the person to be getting the help from. Dawn packed a minimal but essential amount of research books, as she thought about how helpful the Scooby's would have been at that very moment. "No. No I don't need the Scooby's help. I'm The Key, I can do this all on my own, with exception of help from Lauren. - No not can, I have to do this, for my babies and for William and Spike." Dawn said to herself while packing. Ever since she had gotten here she had found herself giving herself more and more pep talks, She chalked it up to being on her own and then becoming a mom.

When everyone was all packed, there were teary good byes with Margaret and Lauren's daughter Samantha, her husband Jeffery and their children Christopher and Annabelle. Then Lauren, Dawn, Michael, Danielle, Andrew, and Bitty Baby, as Dawn had come to calling the baby growing inside of her, boarded a train bound for Italy. That was the thing she loved about this time she didn't know what her babies were going to be until they were born. She had known that her babies would be born healthy, it was something that just came with being The Key, but she loved being surprised the day they were born. However, it was in that moment that she wished she had a sonogram machine to be able to see what her baby was going to be. She wanted a boy so she could name him William, but she also knew that their was a possibility that she could end up having a little girl, so if she were to have a little girl she planned on naming her Joyce.

Dawn had done some extensive research of all of Europe, through Nathan's books and journals. In Italy there was a community that was not far from Rome. The community was a small; quiet one that was occupied by demons and other mystical beings. They would be weary of them, but Dawn didn't plan on staying long enough for them to confront her about anything. There are some things you happen to pick up on, being a the baby sister of the Slayer and dating a vampire, but being a mother made Dawn even more determined than she had been before.

On her trip to the small town she found what she was looking for, a small magic shop, one that she could help but think, reminded her of the Magic Box, which Giles owned. She kept her smile to herself as she walked in. Gypsies ran the shop itself. She couldn't help but smirk internally as she looked around the shop, the owners played the shop off as a gift shop for travelers, but she could tell that it was full of magic. She could feel the magic call to her in a way that she hadn't felt in a very long time. She waited until the other customers cleared out, before she made her present known to the young man behind the counter. He eyed her suspiciously as he watched her walk around and look at things. She could feel his uncertain gaze in her the entire time. She knew he was about to ask her something when an elder Lady interrupted him. He eyed Dawn reluctantly and did whatever the Lady had asked of him. Dawn watched him close the shop and put her senses on overdrive, but let none of her concern show. "You have been expected," the elderly lady said to Dawn as she walked up to her. Dawn looked at her in confusion. "My family, we are the guardians of all things sacred to that of the key. We are even told how to detect its presence. And you my dear are the Key." The woman spoke through years of wisdom, Dawn could tell. "Yes, I am." The woman studied Dawn for a moment before speaking. "You are with child." Dawn nodded. "I have three others as well." "Your husband is human." "He was." Dawn said sadly, she missed William, but she knew she would see him again. The lady nodded as though finally realizing what Dawn was saying and what she needed. "Of course my dear. Follow me." Dawn followed the lady she all the sudden had an urge to trust completely. "You are right in your quest. Your children cannot learn here. They will flourish in their native dimension though. They will also e loved by everyone in it." The lady spoke as she was looking for something specific. Not a moment later she pulled out a sword and an ancient looking book. " This book contains anything you need to know for your journey home." The lady handed the perfectly preserved book to Dawn. "You have a daughter, yes?" The lady asked curiously. Dawn nodded. "Your little girl will be a warrior like you, her father and her aunt." Dawn looked at the lady confused. The lady smiled at Dawn sweetly. "The key is in human form my dear. That can only mean your sister is The Slayer. Your husband has become a vampire. But he will be different, he had felt the love and acceptance of the key and her babies. He will one day be good." Dawn nodded and smiled in understanding. She tried to hold her tears back as best she could, but some escaped. The lady smiled and wiped a tear away from Dawn's face. " Have no fear my dear everything will work out. Just be sure to give this sword to your daughter when she is ready. - Don't worry you'll know when she is ready."

Dawn left the shop with the book and sword magically hidden. There was a lot, she knew, she still had to figure out and learn. But she felt a bit more comfortable with the whole situation now. Who would have thought that little Dawn Summers would probably have just as many connections as her big sis, the big bad slayer. "Buffy would die if she ever found out." Dawn said to herself with a smirk. It still amazed Dawn how even after getting married and having kids, how much the thought of annoying or one upping Buffy still amused her. She shook her head in amusement and continued on her way to the hotel. They were leaving tomorrow and hopefully she would get the dimension hopping on the first try.


	20. Chapter 19

**two for the price of one! i hope that this makes up for the long time i haven't updated! review please!

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Chapter 19

Buffy had gone on patrol every night for a week. And got a weeks worth of zero patrolling done. There were no demons to be found, that couldn't be a good thing especially with the First Evil back and living on the mouth of hell. You don't just not see any demons unless something big is going to happen.

When Buffy got back home Giles said that aside from attempting to get Dawn home and the first's new arrival nothing new was on his radar. Buffy looked at her husband and her sister's boyfriend. They all knew something wasn't right. And it didn't settle well with any of the inhabitants of the Summers home.

* * *

Dawn sat and watched her daughter sparring with her older brother Michael. Danielle was 15. Michael was 16. Andrew was 14 and William was 13. Her babies were teenagers and very skilled warriors. She hadn't wanted them to be warriors, but the moment Danielle began showing her true strength, the boys vowed to fight by her side to give support, back up, and protection. All three of her boys were true gentlemen, just like their father. And Danielle, what could she say about her not so dainty daughter. Danielle was a force to reckoned with by the time she was 9. Her powers were extraordinary. What surprised Dawn even more was that after William had been turned their daughter inherited traits that only a vampire could possess. Her senses were razor sharp. Her reflexes were a natural reaction and took no effort. And she was flawless in battle. Danielle had received possession of the Sword of Light on her eleventh birthday. The very day her daughter had become unstoppable and the leader of the light for the people Dawn had sworn to protect with her powers. Dawn knew that the Key was pure good, but she also knew her daughter was anything but. She was a miniature Spike 99 of the time, which only made her smile, while thinking of her amazing daughter, all the more. 

Dawn, her babies, and Lauren had left the refuge of the dimension they had lived in for 14 years, to dimension hop back to Earth to do battle. That and it was time Spike met his babies again.

" 'm gonna go patrol mum." Danielle said casually as she walked past her mom. Dawn nodded in response before calling out, "Okay, be safe." Danielle said she would just as she closed the door to the old mansion Angelus, William, Darla and Dru had lived in once. Lauren had immediately begun redecorating while her babies set up shop in the basement. Their basement was the most elaborate training unit one could find. If you needed it they had it. Dawn had gotten fake papers from a demon that gave her and Michael driver's licenses Lauren refused to drive. Michael walked by and picked up the keys to the Tahoe. " Mum I'm taking the Tahoe for a quick sweep of the town lines." He told he casually as well. She couldn't help but smirk at how casually all her babies took the topic of fight demons and saving the world. It was like breathing to them, they just knew how to did it. " Okay, be careful." she called to him as he left towards the garage to get the car. She turned to her other two babies and said, just as casually as her two oldest, "That puts you two on sewer patrol tonight." "We're on it." Andrew said as the two go up and headed for the sewer entrance at the very back of their house. " Be careful and try to be home for dinner!" Dawn yelled to them. "No worries Mum!" her youngest yelled back. Dawn just shook her head as she continued to prepare dinner. William was his father with that accent of his. Of course the only thing she saw in all of her babies, which they got from her, were their "key" powers. Other than that they were all William and Spike.

Lauren entered the kitchen with a sigh. " So my dear, how are you now that we are in your century?" Dawn internally smirked. Lauren hated this century; according to her the females should be ashamed of themselves for the amount of skin they show. She had nearly fainted when Dawn had taken Danielle shopping and came home with a skimpy bikini. "My 15 year old daughter is the savior of the people of the home dimension of my powers. My sons choose to fight by her side. I still have to defeat the first evil with my bare hands, without dieing. I know nothing about this version of my future or present what ever you want to call it, and have yet to tell my children that, because I don't want to worry them. I haven't seen my husband in a century, give or take a few years… in normal time. And my husband has no idea he has three sons not to or about his baby girls destiny." Dawn replied to Lauren in a voice that clearly said she didn't want to talk about it. But that tone had never worked before so why would it work now.

Lauren looked at her daughter-in-law with a sympathetic look. "So I take it your having a hard time adjusting." Dawn just looked at her mother-in-law, she was becoming far to good at 21st century humor, but she couldn't help but chuckle. "Danielle is having to much of an influence on you mother. You no longer talk with your 1880's sophistication." Lauren just smiled. " My dear, with my granddaughter sophistication is the last route you want to travel down if you wish to have a conversation with that girl of ours." Dawn chuckled at how true her statement was, but couldn't giving her mother-in-law a look in defense of her daughter. Lauren just laughed it off. "Alright so you can have a sophisticated conversation with her just not a productive one." Dawn shook her head with a smirk on her face. "Yeah. Her idea of a productive conversation is beating the shit out of a demon." The two women laughed good naturedly as they fell into a comfortable routine of preparing dinner.


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: **I'm so ory i haven't updted in a really long time. i lost all the chapters i had written after chapter 19. i still can't find acouple of them, but here is hat i found far. i hope you enjoy and againi am so sorry. To answer some reviewers:

**CJ**- Dawn is 38years 8 months and 4 day old, but heres the little twist, she still looks 23years old. Dawn will be meeting up with spike and the scoobies in soon up coming chapters!

**kurt couper**- i'm so gad your reading my story again! and all your questions should be answered within these next few chapters!

if you have any questios please ask! and i know i haven't been updating alot and i truly apologise, but my muse misses my reviewers, do you think i could getsomeof my reviewers back. i always eem to be able to write more after i readyourquestions and i attempt to answer them, so please keep the reviews coming i love hearing from you guys!

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Chapter 20**

**June 16, 2003:**

Danielle was walking down the streets of Sunnydale, just roaming around and letting her senses guide her. So far so good.

Danielle Elizabeth Carinton was 15 years, 6 months, and 2 days old. She was 5 feet 5 ½ inches tall without her black, leather, high healed boots. With them she was 5 feet 7 ½ inches tall. Her long, flowing brunette hair came down to just below her elbows and was naturally curly . She had her fathers ice blue eyes and prominent cheek bones, but with a feminine softness to them. She had her mothers heart shaped face. Her body was slim and toned from her years of training.

Tonight she had on her boots. Blood-red, low-rise, hip-hugging, leather pants that slightly flared out at the bottom of each leg, to allow swift movement. With a black form fitting tank top that stopped an inch above her toned mind-drift. And to top off her bad-ass, sexy look…a black leather duster, not much unlike her fathers. Had one of the Scooby's seen her, one might think she was a slayer, the only difference…she never carried a weapon on patrol, only in battle.

As she was walking her senses pulled her toward the cemetery. Not far into the cemetery, she heard his voice. The voice that visited her dreams every night. The very dreams that made her feel loved and protected. She kept herself out of sight and smirked at the sight of the four trying to take out a clan of demons that had obviously followed her and her family here. They were stronger in the dimension she had grown up in. Demons in this dimension were no fun. They were to easy to kill. Danielle finally decided to make her presence known as she heard the blond girls bone snap completely in half. As the group began to gain on the four she moved from her "hiding" place. "Miss me boys?" she asked the demons with an arrogant tone and a smirk she had inherited from her father. The demons turned at the sound of her voice, as did the four warriors. Some of the demons began backing off however. They knew who she was and what she was capable of.

"Oh, come on, your shaming me. You come all this way to kill me and now your backing down? I haven't even gotten a punch in yet!" She said in a mocking tone that she knew would piss them off. She couldn't help but smirk when the demons reacted positively toward her challenge. She moved in closer to them and smirked as they circled her. Tonight was going to be fun after all. "Bloody hell you crazy bint, your going to get yourself killed!" she heard her father yell. Of course he didn't exactly know that he was her father.

She let the demons circle her so that she was completely surrounded. It was then that she felt her brother close by in the Tahoe. She smirked and thought to herself, 'things are about to get a hell of a lot more interesting.' "Let's dance boys." she said casually. And with that she made her first move. She kicked one in the gut and snapped the neck of the second, kicked the third back a good twelve feet. The forth will now never reproduce and got a knee to the nose when he fell. She fell face forward to the ground and caught herself so that she could knock the fifth off of his feet. Then she kicked up and wrapped her leg around the neck of the sixth one and twisted hid neck, killing him instantly as her strength crushed his wind pipe. Then she back flipped onto the shoulders of demon number one and snapped his neck upwards, popping his spine out of place. She ducked on her way down to the ground as demon number three and five hit each other, having tried to get her from both sides. She kicked in demon number fours spine, causing his ribs to puncture his lung and his spine to break. Then she flipped herself off of the ground and took a spinning kick to demon number threes head causing him to hit his head on a tomb stone and either knocking him unconscious or cracking open his skull. Which one she wasn't sure. She went to get demon number five when she saw her big brother snap his neck. She gave Michael a glare that he just rolled his eyes in response to.

"I was getting to him!" she told her brother seriously. " Nothing like taking your sweet-ass time about it or anything." he responded to her with a mocking tone. Danielle just flipped him off as she broke the spine of the one she had knocked unconscious just incase. Meanwhile, the four wounded warriors looked at the teenage girl and boy in shock and then at the scattered dead demons on the ground and then back to the two new warriors.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

June 16, 2003

Michael William Carinton was 16 years, 10 months, and 19 days old. He was 5 feet 11 inches, and had a rather muscular/toned body from training and sparing with his mother, sister and brothers. His eyes were a combination of the blue of his parent's eyes. He had dirty blond/ light brown hair that he had in a messy yet styled kind of way. He had his fathers chin, but the rest of his face was similar to his mothers. He wasn't broad shouldered, but he wasn't skinny wither. He had on a pair of Timberland boots, black, of course. The slightly baggy blur jeans that showed the very top of his boxers. And a black t-shirt that covered the top of his jeans but was stretched across his chest and shoulders, due to his upper body muscles.

Michael walked over to the driver's side of the black Tahoe and motioned for his sister to get in. "You drove the Tahoe to the cemetery?" she asked him skeptically. Michael sighed before answering. "I'm not parked on the damn grass. I'm parked on the damn asphalt. Now get in the damn car, mum's gonna kill us as it is were going to be bloody late for dinner." Danielle walked over and grabbed his left wrist to look at his silver watch and swore when she saw what time it was. The two hastily got in the Tahoe and drove home, leaving four very confused warriors behind and six very dead demons.

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Connor was lying on his back on his bed as he let his ribs heal. He couldn't get the beautiful female warrior out of his head. She was amazing. Her style of fighting was confident and flawless. He was mesmerized by her and he wasn't sure if he would ever see her again. He was jarred from his thoughts when he heard a knock at the door.

"Yeah." he called out. He saw his parents come in and walk over to him. "You okay, baby?" his mother asked him, her voice filled with concern. He nodded. "Yeah, Willow said it was just a few bruised ribs, nothing broken or fractured. How's your arm?" It was his turn to have his voice filled with concern for his mother. She smiled down at him. "Already healing. I'm just glad your okay."

"I still can't figure out who those two were." Angel said sounding extremely confused. "They fought as though they weren't… I don't know." Buffy finished with a sigh. "Human." Angel said casually. Buffy shrugged before answering. "Not the word I was going to use but okay." Connor got a pensive look on his face and shook his head. " No, they were human." Angle nodded in agreement with his son. "He is right. I couldn't smell any demon in them."

The three sat there in confused silence for a few moments. How the hell could two human teenagers accomplish what they had gotten beat up and broken trying to do. They all looked at each other and spoke at the same time. "Giles."


	23. Chapter 22

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Chapter 22

Spike sat in his room in the basement of the Summers home, and looked at the pictures he had had on him when he was turned. One was of Dawn alone; the other was one of them on their wedding day and 3 more of his babies when they were born.

He didn't know why the two teens made him think of his 3 beautiful children, but they did. He knew that there wasn't a chance of his daughter being here or even that strong. He had been human when his little girl was born. He never blamed Dawn for hiding his babies around the world. And she always seemed to know his moves before he made them, because he couldn't find them anywhere. And by now his babies had most likely been buried about 50 to 60 years ago, maybe less maybe more, depending on how their health had been. He didn't dare look up their gravesites for the simple fact that it would hurt too much. The only thing he was thankful for was that Dawn had hidden them well enough that not even Angelus could find them. But it hurt like hell that he hadn't been able to see them grow up, give his baby girl away at her wedding, grow old with his bride, see his grandchildren.

"Grandchildren."

He thought to himself. Maybe they were the decedents of his kids, or at least one of them. Maybe that's why he was reminded of his babies, when he saw them. But, then he thought to himself, if they were his grandchildren, he didn't want to make their lives ant more complicated than they obviously were. Although, he still couldn't figure out how they were so strong. His babies were human; he assumed his grandchildren would be to. Although, if Dawn could fall for a vampire, his kids could fall for someone that had immense strength. He shook his head to clear the confusing thoughts and decided to keep a safe distance away from them, but close enough to be able to help them out if they ever needed any it.

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June 17, 2003

Andrew Rupert Carinton was 14 years 7 months and 14 days old. His grandmother said that he was the carbon copy of his grandfather. He had medium to dirty blond hair. He stood 6 feet tall, which he loved cause it pissed of his older brother, Michael, off so much. He and Michael did have about the same build though. He was just a tad bit thinner due to his few extra inches in height. He let his hair rest on his head loosely. Of course he never let it grow long enough to actually need gel in his hair. He did have his mother's nose and cheekbones. But other than that he was a carbon copy of Nathan, dark, piercing blue eyes, a slender yet old world elegance to him. He was what would be considered a "sex symbol" had they been in the 1800's still. For the year 2003... He appeared to be a well a basketball jock, basically.

Anyway, he had on black sweat pants and a black wife beater. Black was a color that the four siblings couldn't seem to live without, much to their grandmother's dismay. And his brother William was no exception. Speaking of William, he happened to be to cause of Andrew's fear for his family jewels at the moment, as William vigorously hit the punching bag he was holding. "Hey bro, take out your frustrations on the bag all you want, but watch my balls will ya!" he said half seriously and half mockingly.

He winced when William purposely hit the bag in the right spot, and caused him lots of pain. Before either could say anything, their older siblings joined the two. Michael visibly winced when he saw the pain Andrew was in. " Hey bro, what did I tell you about aiming for the family jewels? Do you really want to be on the receiving end of mum and grandmum's wrath when none of can reproduce because we decided to attack each other's family jewels when the other pissed us off?" "Could you three have this conversation, and not make it sound like I'm a guy at the same time." Danielle said to her brothers rather annoyed.

Danielle then rolled her eyes and began doing back flips. She had heard them have this conversation enough to sink a battle ship that by now she just ignored them completely.

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William Michael Carinton Jr. was 13 years, 11 months, and 28 days old. And shockingly enough he was the carbon copy of **_Spike_**. Bleached blond hair and all. He was 5 feet 4 inches tall, seeing as he hadn't hit his growth spurt yet. He figures by the time all the brothers had finished growing they'd all be around the same height. But there was no doubt that Andrew would be the tallest. Danielle might grow another inch or two but she was relatively done growing.

He was currently in an identical outfit, for working out, to that of his siblings. For some reason they always seemed to train in all black. "So baby brother, what's got your knickers all up in a twist?" Danielle asked him with a sigh, mind you she's still doing back flips while conversing with them. He couldn't help but smirk despite his mood. "We're here, dad doesn't know who we are, and to top it all off, even after he figures out who you three are, I'm still the one left that he get to go, ' who the bloody hell are you?' to!" he answered his sister in a grumbling manner.

Andrew quickly jumped back as he punched the bag extra hard. They all heard his wrist pop. "Buggar! Bloody bag!" he screamed in pain. Andrew, Michael and Danielle winced as he popped his wrist back into place and flexed his fingers. And that was followed by their mother running down the stairs in a panic. "What happened?" Dawn asked in her worried mother tone. "Nothing mum just popped my wrist. Nothing to fret yourself over." William tried to reassure his mother.


	24. Chapter 23

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Chapter 23

June 17, 2003

Dani needed out of her house. She wasn't sure why, but she just needed, to run and stretch her muscles. She had tried training in the basement, but for some reason it wasn't enough this evening. She went to her room and slipped on her dark-gray baggy hip hugging sweat pants. She rolled the top elastic fabric of her sweats twice and then slipped on her black tank top; once she had it on she took another look at it and realized it was Will's. She just shrugged, not caring; she had her black sports bra on underneath it so she would be fine. She slipped on her black sketchers and silently slipped out her window. It was times like these that she was happy; she had inherited most of her fathers' vampire abilities after he was turned. She landed on her feet flawlessly and stood up straight and began casually walking as though she hadn't just dropped from the third story window. She sighed and rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck as the feeling of confinement rolled off of her. The night had been her best friend, other than Will, since she was six.

She didn't even stop when she felt her father move in behind her. It was then that she realized why she had liked night so much. Having the darkness envelope her in a caring, protective, embrace was symbolic for her fathers comfort. Her father was a man of the night, and it was the night that gave her the feeling of complete and utter peace. She back flipped to stretch her muscles some more, and was glad she had worn her hair up into a ponytail, she could see and didn't have to rely on her senses to see how mesmerized her father was by her effortless abilities.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she came upon the spot where her grandmother should have been buried. She began to panic and ran through the entire cemetery looking for the headstone. She put her vampire sight into overdrive as she kicked down the doors of crypts looking for Joyce's final resting place. Finally she gave up and shoved her father, who had effortlessly kept up with her pace, up against the wall of a crypt and ground out her question through clenched teeth. "Why isn't she buried in the cemetery? Where is she?" she nearly growled at him. Spike looked at her with awe and confusion. He had no idea how she knew he had been there, and he had no idea who or what the hell he was talking about. " What are you talking about, love? Who?"

Her mind began running a mile a minute. She was born in 1886, things changed because her mum and dad were married and had had her and her three brothers. She looked up at the modern version of her father, with wide frightened eyes. A look, had anyone else in her family seen, would think the world was coming to an end. Not much scared her but this, this terrified her. She loosened her hold on him and moved backwards against the opposite wall.

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Spike looked at the girl with concern evident in his eyes. He had never seen anyone look so scared and for some reason it hit him really hard, almost like he had a reason to protect her from all her fears that shown so clearly in her eyes. "Luv?" "She's not going to know everything. It's changed from what she knows. But her memories were always changing. We're bleeding fucked!" she ended in a desperate tone. Spike looked at her oddly for a moment. He had heard her speak before; it was almost as though her fear had let her strong English accent escape. "Your English." he said, completely stating the obvious. " Born anyway. Grew up in Cantaria," she answered him with a shaky voice. "The dimension that is slowly coming to extinction? That Cantaria?" he asked in surprise. She nodded casually before answering. "It's on its way to a revolution, but yeah that one. We got back here about three months ago." she inwardly winced as she realized she had let that last bit of info slip. If the others found out soon who they were, her mum was in deep shit with Aunt Buffy. Especially, since they had gotten back to this dimension a full 2 months before 16-year-old Dawn was even sent back to 1880. Luckily he seemed to have momentarily missed that part of her confession. " How can you be sure Cantaria is on its way to a revolution?" he asked, doubt completely evident in his eyes, facial expression, and tone. "I head the military and the resistance against the invaders of Cantaria," she stated matter-of-factly. She loved the look she saw in his eyes. Maybe it wasn't the proud father look she had wanted all her life, but it was close.

Spike looked at her in awe. She was just a teenager, yet she already had one hell of a hard job a head of her. " And your how old?" She couldn't help but chuckle. " 15. The job isn't that hard. Especially when battle tactics and battle itself comes naturally to a person. I've been doing this since I was eleven. My mum didn't like it too much, but she knew I had to do it. -Now my turn at 20 beggaring questions! Do you and you friends always fight what goes bump in the night?"

Spike was about to answer when it was obvious that they had both felt someone's presence. He wasn't sure about it, he couldn't tell what it was, but she didn't seem to be put out by the presence, she actually seemed to be happy about it. She pushed open the crypt door and stopped dead in her tracks. He followed and saw Connor beating the shit out of a blond boy a little younger than her.

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Dani growled as she saw Will getting his ass kicked. He had this thing about fighting humans, he just wouldn't do it. She ran full speed and caught the boy's ankle mid kick and spun him to the ground, twisting his ankle in the process. He looked at her in surprise as she held Will, who was badly hurt, in her arms.

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Connor turned to Spike, "He's not human!" Dani spun her head around and looked at the boy menacing ling. "Neither are you or at least not completely! So where do you get off kicking his ass! It was that tiny percentage of you that was human that kept your head on while he was getting beat up! He won't hurt humans, **_I_**, on the other hand, could care less if your human or not, especially when it comes to my brothers!" she screamed at him with the added touch of her vampire-like growl in her voice.

Connor watched as the boy groaned and clung to her. She leaned down and whispered something into his ear. He looked at her reluctantly, but both he and Spike could see that he would be compliant of her request. She held him close and continued to rock him back and forth, neither knowing what she had asked or what was transpiring unbeknownst to them, right in front of their eyes.

* * *

She knew he hated shifting, but she could sense his bodies need to in his weakened state. She his face in her shoulder and didn't even flinch when he bit her. She had been keeping his secret since he was born. He had only let his fangs drop around her. She had felt privileged and knew mum would freak, so the two kept his vampire abilities to them selves. Will didn't need blood to survive, unless he was in a weakened state as such that one he was in now.

When she felt his fangs retracted she held him until his emotions where normal again and her neck was healed and the mark was no longer visible. "How was your run around the cemetery?" he asked her quietly with a slightly amused tone. She knew he was trying to lighten the moment, but tonight that just wasn't possible. "Eventful, to say the least. Things have changed. She's not going to know what's going on." She answered him copying his tone exactly. He pulled back and looked at her with wide eyes. He didn't have to ask her what she was talking about, he already knew. They were so screwed.


	25. Chapter 24

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A/N: I'm so sorry I took so long to update, i unfortuntely have no reason to give you for not updating other than sheer lazyness. but in hopes of making it up to you here are FOUR NEW CHAPTERS ! Please read and review the chapters and as always, i hope you enjoy them!

Chapter 24

It had been a week since Spike and Connor left the two siblings in the cemetery. Connor had wanted to stay and find out what the hell was going on, but Spike had a feeling that things would soon unravel and reveal themselves. Buffy had gone into super-mom-mode when she saw Connor limping. While Buffy took care of her son, both Spike and Connor filled Angel, Giles and Buffy in on the new information. They spoke of the girl having another brother and the fact that they were both scared shitless about something. They also took into consideration that Connor had sensed that this "new" brother wasn't human. Yet, that if she knew that Connor was somewhat not human than she couldn't be either. However, what confused them was that neither Angle, Connor nor Spike, sensed anything other than human in her.

Giles had a theory about who the girl was and what was going on, but he had yet to voice it to anyone. If he was right this girl they kept seeing was more amazing than any of them could have even begun to imagine.

Spike, Angle, Connor, Buffy, and Giles were out on patrol a week after the meeting in this very cemetery. Everyone had agreed that the odds of seeing any of them again would increase if they stuck to the place that they had visited before. They weren't wrong, but only one would be graced with her presence this evening.

Giles wanted a chance to meet the girl that had their world basically turned upside down. Here they were supposed to be looking for Dawn and the only thing they kept doing was researching these mysterious teenagers. But, Giles had a feeling that if he just got a good look at her then he would be able to tell immediately who she was, and whether or not he was right. Giles hung back while the others fought when her presence was made known by her voice.

* * *

"What scares you more, the fact that you have an idea of who I am or the fact that deep down you know your right?" Giles turned to face the teenage girl. He was in awe of her presence, power just seemed to radiate off her, of course he had a feeling she only let it radiate off of her when she chose to do so or the four fighting would have sensed it by now. Her legend was far greater than even that of the calling of a slayer.

* * *

She couldn't help but smile at Giles' expression, it wasn't that she wasn't used this kind of reaction it was just that his face was just too priceless. She offered him her hand and introduced herself. "I'm Danielle, but everyone just calls me Dani." Giles took her hand and introduced himself in return. She couldn't help but chuckle in response, "I'm well aware of who you are Mr. Giles. My mother talks about you often. Besides, if I didn't know you, I wouldn't be speaking to you. I don't like strangers."

* * *

Giles was confused for a moment, when he finally saw it, and gasped in surprise. "Your Dawn's daughter!" Dani smiled and nodded. "Yes I am. Danielle Elizabeth Carinton. Sorceress of all that is good, daughter to the Key, the purest form of good." Dani couldn't help but chuckle as he wiped his glasses. After a moment the two turned their attention back to the four warriors. That's when Giles noticed the similar dress of Dani and Spike. "You look up to him a great deal don't you?" Giles asked her quietly. For a moment she was quiet. "I head my military on the battle tactics that were once his. I add my own twists, but they are his none the less. I respect his abilities and his intelligence." Giles nodded in understanding. It was a fact that he couldn't deny, Spike was good at what he did. However, her next statement surprised the hell out of him, and it was then that he realized the real ride they where all in for. 

" And what little girl, who was a complete Daddy's girl since birth, wouldn't look up to and hero worship her father. Just because my father is a vampire make's me no different. I'm a daddy's girl, always have been, always will be." Giles looked at her in surprise, yet he wasn't surprised at all, it was hard to explain. "Can they…" he asked nervously. "Hear me? No. One of the many perks about being a sorceress." Giles nodded. " You can't tell him or the other's who my brothers and I are or that we are here to stay, Especially my father. My mothers life depends on it." And with that she walked away into the darkness, much like her father.


	26. Chapter 25

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Chapter 25

Dawn was walking the streets of Sunnydale. She wasn't really surprised that her mindless wandering had lead her to the house she had "grown up" in. She just stood there for a few moments looking at the house that no doubt everyone would want her to move back into once they realized she was back. She had hoped she could have gone a little longer without them realizing that she was here, but she didn't have much choice, not with the demons that had been following them from Cantaria showing up at any moment. They had to know she was back so that they would stay out of the way. Her babies had to fight this time around, not her sister.

As she looked at the house she had once called home she began to realize just how much she missed her real home. The home that had housed her and her husband, her mother-in-law, and three of her four children. Her home was in England. Home was where the heart is, and as much as she loved the people in the house in front of her, she loved the house back in England more. It had happier memories, along with the ones she never wanted to forget or give up. She couldn't help but smile as she remembered her home back in England. It was then that she felt an arm move around her waist. She looked up and smiled into the eyes of her oldest son. "You ready for this Mum?" She looked at him for a moment before nodding and pulled her baby boy into a quick hug. She couldn't help it, he was her oldest son but he would always be her baby boy to her. "Where are the others?" she asked him casually. "Dani is out for a night on the town. Which, that in itself, is a bloody miracle. Andy is helping Nana with odd jobs around the house, seeing as he is taller than me and all." Dawn chuckled at her son's sarcastic tone as he finished the statement about Andy's height. "And Will has locked himself in the basement again." Dawn shook her head, "That boy becomes more vampiric everyday." Michael chuckled and squeezed his mum's waist gently. "Do you think that either of them realize that we all know he has more vampire qualities that Andy and I?" "Sweetie I don't think they even realize you and Andy have Vampire qualities, there to busy hiding Will's nearly complete Vampire existence." Michael sighed at that, "I just worry about both of them, do they honestly think we won't love them or something?" Dawn looked into her son's sad eyes and places her hand on his cheek. "Baby that is just Dani and Will. They get that trait from your father just to warn you. He likes to think that there are just some things I shouldn't know and you and I both know that's how your brother and sister think." Michael nodded and smiled slightly at his mother. And the two began the walk up the walkway to the front door.

Dawn put her hand over the doorknob and unlocked the door with her powers, when she heard the click of the lock she looked up at her son and smirked. Michael just smiled and shook his head at his mothers' antics. And with that the two walked into the Summers house and made their way toward the living room. Dawn smirked as she caught on to what her son was doing. "Nice house. Could use a few more paintings and some more old world charm but hey who am I to say. I live in England where every house has old world charm." " Michael you were four when you lived in the house in England how the hell do you remember if it had old world charm or not?" Dawn grind at her son as the group that was gathered in the Living room looked at them all in shock. "Hey being the son of the key has its advantages. -- By the way there's a demon in the back yard that Dani might like to get her hands on." Dawn made a movement with her hand and Michael pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed his sister. "Dawnie?" Dawn turned to her sister and smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I love you all and I'd love to stay and chat, but I have battle tactics to plan, demons to kill and dimensions to save." Dawn answered casually, yet lovingly toward her family. "And I do believe that is Dani now, and if we don't hurry she'll have all the fun!" Michael said to his mother and smirked at Giles. "Thanks for understanding my sister, Giles." Giles nodded and smiled as he watched mother and son walk off through the kitchen and out to the back yard.

* * *

Spike sat where he was unable to move. He had just seen his wife, and truthfully her attitude hadn't surprised him. What did surprise him was the age of his son. Then his thoughts moved to his baby girl. He couldn't help but smirk at the thought of everyone calling her Dani instead of Danielle, it just screamed of something Dawn would do. Then his son's last statement to Giles came flooding back to him, and he looked toward the man who had been a father figure to the slayer and his wife. If something was going on with his daughter, that he didn't know about, he was glad that, at least, Giles knew. He knew he could trust his daughters' life in his hands. He could wait till his daughter or his wife was ready to tell him what was going on. He had never been one to pressure Dawn into telling him anything she wasn't ready to tell him, and he had that same respect for his little girl. 


	27. Chapter 26

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Chapter 26

Danielle waited for her mother and her brother to move out of sight. She had been more than happy to take out the demons that had been in the back yard of her grandmother and aunts house. But in a way it had hurt. She had been so close to her father yet she couldn't see him. Then she had heard her mother begin crying after the demons were dealt with. It was then that she knew that it was okay to see her father. Her mother wouldn't have cried so whole-heartedly if it hadn't involved her father. She knew her mum missed her dad like crazy, so seeing him but not touching him had to be eating her up right now.

She had told Michael to take their mum home and she would take a quick sweep of the town before heading back. It wasn't her fault that, by sweeping the town, she had to pass the house the three had just left. So it was now that she found herself out front of the house that now housed her father and her mothers' side of the family. She let out a deep breath to calm her nerves. She found it amazing that she could face the most deadly demons in the world, but getting up the nerve to walk up a pathway to a house was scaring the shit out of her.

She made her way up the pathway and up the steps of the porch and stopped dead in her tracks in front of the closed front door. She just stood there staring at it. After what seemed like a lifetime she finally decided to send out her power to one person in the house. She hoped he would remember what her power had felt like. Moments later the front door opened and she came face to face with…

* * *

Dawn had finally calmed down with the help of her three boys and her mother-in-law. But now she had three Carinton men fretting over her. She wasn't complaining she loved that they had so much of their father in them, but she missed her husband terribly. She wanted her husband back terribly, but she wouldn't risk anyone else's life for her own battle. As it was she felt horrid for having to let her babies fight, but she had learned a long time ago that you couldn't fight destiny. That was one of the reasons she hadn't taken Spike getting turned as hard as most would have expected. Before they had married she had given herself a pep talk, she had known that there was a chance that Spike's turning was written in that stars for him. She had accepted it before she had even been proven right.

She knew a long time ago that she could never stop him from being the man and/or vampire that he had to become. She would never change all the evil he had done either; everything he had done made him who he was. And that's all she needed to know to allow history to have happened. She knows she could have changed it. But to change history again would be to change her husband, and that was something she just wasn't willing to do, no matter how selfish it may have seemed to others.

And so it had been decided, before her youngest son was born, that she would allow her children to become whoever they were meant to be. She wouldn't stop them. That was the difference between her and Buffy, her existence and powers allowed her the opportunity to see that everything happened for a reason, good or bad, it didn't matter. If something was meant to happen, then she wasn't about to step in the way. No matter how much it hurt.

Will began to worry about Dani, she could tell by the way he was pacing the kitchen. Just like his father, when Spike felt like he was a caged animal, just waiting for something to happen. Dawn smiled at her youngest son and place one of her hands on his arm. He stopped his pacing to look at her, and she saw a man in her son's eyes, not her 13-year-old baby boy. "She'll be fine, Will. Don't worry; she just needs some time to think. That's all. She'll be fine, baby." She told her son in a soothing voice, it took a moment but she saw him relax, somewhat, and nod his head.


	28. Chapter 27

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Chapter 27

Danielle just stood there for a good few minutes, just staring at him. He did just the same; they just stood there looking at each other, studying each other. Finally he gave a small smile, and she broke, she let her tears fall and she flung herself into her Daddy's arms. "Daddy!" She whispered, as she held on to him tight. She felt him hold her just as tight, and she felt truly happy for the first time since she had last seen her daddy, and was allowed to hug him.

* * *

Spike let out a shaky breath when he heard his little girl. He held her so tight he was afraid he would break her, but he couldn't help it he had missed her so much. And she really was beautiful. She was her mothers' daughter after all, but she had her own beauty about her, that he knew she would have the moment he had held her as a new born. Then the ulcer began to set in, if a vampire could even have ulcers, she was too pretty. He decided then and there that if any teenaged, hormonal, males, of any kind, even looked at his little girl the wrong way, he would revert back to his scourge of Europe days, that bloody chip in his head be damned. 

He pulled back and looked at his only daughter and smiled. He gently wiped her tears from her face. She had his eyes, but he also noticed that his little girl wasn't as innocent as would have liked for her to be. She had probably seen just as much if not more than he had, for her to have just the slightest bit of innocence left in her signature that he quickly filed away in his mind, and recognized as his little girl. "Hello princess." he smiled as he continued to look at her. "I'm sorry I missed so bloody much of your life." he told her sadly. She quickly shook her head, and he just looked at her in question and confusion. "You were always there when it mattered." She said with a shaky voice. He was about to ask how, when she held up her hand and continued. "The darkness. It has been my best friend since I was a little girl. It reminded me of my daddy. I could even talk to it and pretend it was you. The odd thing was it always seemed to give me answers in return.--- Okay that sounded way to Drusilla like for my taste." She chuckled for a moment. "But more than that you have saved my life countless times even if you don't even know it." he looked at her completely bewildered, but she just smiled and tilted her head to the side. "How do you think I can head the Military back in Cantaria? What preteen knows battle tactics wellenough to head a military? -- Here's a little hint. The battle tactics… they weren't mine, but the ability to pull them off was in my blood."

She chuckled as his eyes widened as he realized what she had been saying. "See daddy, you never really left me, I kept you right here, by my side through everything." she placed his hand over her heart. "I studied your battle tactics and your fighting abilities and used them to my own advantage, so in a way I had you with me in here, too." she placed the tips of his finger to her right temple. "Like I said you were there when I needed you." she smiled up at him again, as she saw pride shine in his eyes. "Love you princess." He spoke with a strangled voice, but she heard the love and pride in it all the same. "Love you, too, Daddy."

"Come on in for a few minutes princess, it's time you met some of your family." He smiled at her and she couldn't help but feel like a little girl again who would follow her daddy anywhere. Yep, she was still a complete Daddy's girl.


	29. Chapter 28 and an Imporant AN

**IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE!**

**A/N:** Okay to everyone who thinks that i'm not taking care of my story or that i don't update enough or what ever, here is why. I am a Junior in high school, so that means as of right now i am in the process of keeping my grades up for my high school transcripts for college, i am in the process of not only looking for colleges but also applying to colleges. i have to research scholorships as well. Now when i'm not doing that i am trying to write more for this story, but since i don't have the entire story written and completed yet i am still working on chapter plots, new characters, plot twists, and yet still trying to make it interesting so that you will all enjoy the chapters and the story. and i unfortunately can't control when my muse decides to strike and let me have a day when everything just starts flowing onto the paper. and this year (junior year) hasn't been easy, my grandmothers breast cancer has only recently gone into remission and also have after school obligations, so im sorry if i don't update enough or feel that i am not taking care of the story, but all i can tell you is that i am tring my best, and i would love to here what anyone has to say about the story, any ideas you have, or where you think the story should go, i would love to hear about. so please don't hesitate to review and voice an opinion i'm always open to ideas. so i hope that clears up any doubts you have about the stroy. i know i haven't finished two of my stories but i hope to begin rewritting and revising Disguised as a Princess and Englands Determination when i get the chance, as for the Irony of it all that is a brief one shot story that doesn't need to be continued. so please is you like this stroy bare with me and please stick with the story. thank you for those who have had patience with me and for the others i am sorry and i'll see what i can do about updating more often, but if it takes me a while to update please no that i have no intension of giving up on this story, i just have a lot on my plate right now.

Thanks JenaMarino

**On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 28:

Dani felt something close by and it wasn't good. The evil was just radiating off of the being. The only thing that could pinpoint was that it wasn't in the house her mother had grown up in. She was sitting there on one of the couches in the Summers family/living room. There was an awkward, tense silence that was deafening to her. She had more or less been around silence all her life, but this kind of silence was the worst, she loathed this kind of silence. it was the kind of silence that made her wish for death, just to liven things up a bit. She could tell some of the others had picked up on the change in the atmosphere at the arrival of a new evil. Only little did any of them, but Dani, know that it was not a new evil. It was one that had been after her mother since the beginning of time. THe war with the first was fast approachingand she couldn't even prepare for battle because she wasn't on her home territory. Everyone with superhumanpowers picked up on the change, she could tell by the way all of their muscles tightened and prepared for a battle that was not even there's to begin with.

The tense atmosphere was broken when her cell phone went off. She happily answered it when she saw that is was William. "Hey Bro, What's Up?"She tried to sound as casually as possible, the only people who now about how powerful she really was and the job she had be doing since she little, were Giles and her father. And at that moment they looked as though they were having a bit of supernatural, British, Comrade fun at her expense. She would have laughed at that had the cirumstances been any different, it was rather funny how much the two reminded her of her and Michael.

She could mentally picture Williams confused expression due to her acting as though she hadn't just felt the very power that would most likely be signing her death certificate. "Oh I don't know! Nothing really. You know, the usual, probably just the end of the world andyou feel like having a jolly good ol' bloody time doing nothing, just to maximize the climatic effect of your battle!" Dani couldn't help the smirk that grew on her face as her brothernearly screamed in her ear. "Okay first of all, Breath. That's it nice deep breths. Breath in. Breath out. In. Out. Good, now second of all, stopping acting as though we aren't prepared for this and begin the game plan, I'll be home momentarily, of that i assure you." and with that she hung up on her baby brother and stood at the same time. She could tell they wanted to stop her to get some answers but she didn't have time. So she acknowledged them all with a nod of the head and ran from the house, her father, Angel, Buffy, and Connor not far behind her. She closed her eyes tight when she heard her father yell for her. "DANIELLE ELIZABETH!" She had never wanted to stop running toward her destiny so much in her life when she heard the concern in his voice.

As she was running she saw her Aunt and smirked. "Gaby!" The female vampire turned to her and nodded her head and the two ran side by side toward the Carinton household as fast as they could, to ensure that everyone was as save as could be asked for.

* * *

To say Angle and Spike were shocked to see Gaby running with Dani was an understatement. Gaby had never been evil, she had somehow managed to keep her soul after her turning. Angle was beyond confused and Spike was happy that Gaby was with his daughter, but he was also worried. If Dani needed Gaby to help fight, then whatever they were fighting was worse than he had origanally thought. The knawing feeling in the pit of his stomach just kept getting worse by the moment as the four followed the two women through Sunnydale's Cemetaries. 


	30. Chapter 29 and another AN

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated, I feel like one thing after another keeps happening to prevent me from finishing this story, or hell even continuing it. My grandfather recently got sick and needed surgery and I just haven't felt up to writing lately, and I am sorry to those who feel that I am using junior year as an excuse. I know, your right, it is the easiest year in high school. But for me it has been an emotional wreck, so please, I know the school work and load is easy, but personally this school year has been difficult and emotionally draining. So again I apologize and I will continue to try my best and get out of the funk I have been in all year to bring this story to you. just please, if you can, try to bare with me. It would be greatly appreciated.

JenaMariano

On with the story...

* * *

Finding out that your family was living in the cemetery that you and the others patrolled every night, and you didn't know about it, was more than a little unnerving to Spike and Buffy. But, none the less, the two of them put that worry into the back of their minds and attempted to focus on the issue at hand. The fact that for some reason DanI had run out off the Summers house like a bat out of hell and then joined up with one of the strongest vampires in history, to ever fight her own kind since the start of her turning. They were about to follow the two women into the house when all of the sudden came a loud roar from behind them. They immediately spun around to see an army of demons coming toward them. They wanted to fight them and protect their loved ones inside the mansion behind them, but they recognized these demons. The four of them couldn't even have taken out five of them never mind a whole army of them. The four began retreating toward the mansion, praying that a play would be put into action soon, when window, paned, glass shattered behind and above them.

Gaby landed in front of them as if to tell the army that they had to go through her to get to them. Spike looked up and saw four teenagers jump through four different upstairs windows and land gracefully on their feet. It was when they were in mid flight that he noticed Dani was leading the three other teenagers. Her black, leather, duster billowed in the air behind her as she, appeared to fly through the air. "Dawn?" Spike heard Buffy yell. He turned his head in the direction that his sister-in-law was looking, and was shocked to find his wife, dressed similarly to his daughter, and making the energy that made her the Key, glow around her. Not to mention it made her rather intimidating…okay a lot intimidating.

* * *

"Michael, you take Andrew and William and take the ones on the left. Gaby, you and Mum take the ones on the right. I got the ones down the center!" Dani yelled her orders, and the others wasted no time in following them. The three boys began fighting the left side and Gaby began fighting the right. Dawn was using her powers to knock the demons off their feet and allowing Gaby to take them out. Dani on the other hand closed her eyes and bowed her head as the demons came charging at her. She meditated quickly and felt her power grow with in her. When her power was at its peak she snapped her head up and released a wave of it at the demons. That wave of power knocked out have off the demons and gave the warriors the upper hand. If you can call six against hundreds of demons the upper hand. But Dani knew that her mother was waiting for the opportune moment to let her powers shine. She had actually been the one to tell her mother not to use her full strength to soon. She knew that if her mother over extended her self she would get weak very fast. Yeah her mother was powerful, but the powers it took to bring the Key energy to full power, were draining on her body.

* * *

Dawn had gotten used of the fatigue she would feel after using her powers for a long period of time. But she knew her daughter was right, until they figured out a way that allowed her to use her powers to the fullest without putting herself and the ones she loved in danger she was going to have to leave the heroics up to her daughter. Due to the fact that Dani had been prophesized, her body been made to harbor, use, contain, and control the powers she possessed. But due to the fact the monks had place the Key inside of Dawn, her body had not been able to gain such luxuries as her daughter.

* * *

Dani flipped over demons heads and snapped their necks in the process. She was no longer the little girl who needed Daddy's protection. No, she was in battle, and the little bit of William the Bloody that was ingrained in her DNA, was taking over. She felt her bones break as she threw rock hard blows at the demons. The kind of punches that would shatter the facial structure of her opponent. It wasn't that she relished in this kind of battle, but it was the only way she knew how to fight and guarantee a victory, as well as keep those she loved safe. To be truthful, she loathed going into this …"killer"…mode, but she had no other choice. She was the strongest out of all of the warriors present. She would rather have the blood of her enemies on her hands, than the death of a loved one on her shoulders. This was the life she was destined to live, and she wasn't about to start bitching now. She had accepted her destiny along time ago, this was just one of the downsides to that destiny. Just like any other destiny, hers too, had ups and downs to it.

* * *

Buffy's eyes began to tear up as she watched her niece fight the demons on her own. She could see…herself…in the young girl. She was fighting a war that she had no say in. a war that was predestined to be hers, before she was even born. But what scared Buffy more was that, she herself was 21 and felt as though she was fighting a loosing battle. Dani was only 15 and had seemed to already have adopted the same jaded outlook on the world around her as she fought. Dani was, much like herself, waiting for that one demon that would be the one to sign her death certificate.

* * *

Dani mentally winced as she felt another one of her bones break or bruise, but she knew her powers would hold her body together until after the battle. She knew that even though she was going to be hurting later, she had more demons to hurt before she could allow her own pain to affect her. 


	31. Chapter 30

A/N: Hey everyone. I just wanted to say thank you for all your understanding. And I thought the best way to repay your understanding would be to set aside some time to bring you the next chapter. By the way I just got my self a BETA. So hopefully she will be able to motivate me to get writing and motivated to bring this story to you and let it develop to what I know it can be. Thanks again to all of you who have put up with me and my crazy emotional stuff, you guys are the best!

* * *

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Chapter 30:

Dani had to calm herself down after the battle was over. She still had the adrenaline running through her veins, which in turn kept her powers flowing. She was breathing heavily, trying to calm herself down. As she did calm herself, the pain of her injuries began to over whelm her. The pain was intense and sharp. She gasped and fell to her knees and then cringed in pain. Her whole buddy felt as though she it had been put through a series of battles that had gotten the best of her. The pain was so intense that it was beyond deafening. Even the pumping of her blood through her veins seemed to cause her immense amount of pain.

* * *

"Dani!" William screamed as he saw his sister fall to her knees in pain. He ran to her as fast as he could, the closer he got, the stronger the feel of her pain became. He had seen her beat up before. Hell there wasn't one battle that she didn't come home from, that she wasn't bruised or broken. But this time,… this time she was in pain and it was more than she had ever felt before, he could tell just by that look of pain on her face. Dani was the type of girl that would never let anyone know if she was in pain or not. So when she show that she was hurt, she wasn't just hurt she was in agony.

Will skidded to a halt and fell to his knees in front of his sister. "Dani. Come on, Dani. Look at me." he said quietly, trying to bring her out of her shell and let him take some of her pain away. He felt Michael and Andrew fall to their knees as well, and inspect her without causing her anymore pain. But when she didn't respond to his plea, he got far more worried. He turned to Michael. "We have to get her inside. NOW!"

* * *

Michael had learned long ago not to doubt his baby brother, especially when it came to their sister. So when William was beyond strict about getting Dani inside, he didn't even hesitate about moving to pick her up. "I sorry, Dani, but this is going to hurt like hell." he whispered in her ear. And for the first time since they were little, HE was the first person she responded to. She squeezed his hand in understanding, like they had done when they were little and William was way to young to even understand that Dani was hurt. She was very good at hiding how much physical pain she was in.

Michael pushed the emotions back and picked up his sister. He set his jaw when she let out a small whimper from the pain. He could feel the rage running through his veins, at anything and everything that had ever caused her pain. Needless to say, most of that rage was directed at the destiny she had that forced her to live this life of constant battle.

As soon as the three brothers reached the entrance to their house they had family flanking both sides of them trying to find out what was wrong with Dani. "Nana!" Andrew screamed beside him. When Michael saw his grandmother, he left no time for his father to ask any questions. " Nana, run a cold bath. We have to numb the pain."

* * *

Lauren was off before he even finished his second sentence. She knew Michael would be right behind her with her gorgeous granddaughter in his arms. She would cry later, right now she had to make her granddaughter feel better. She wasted no time in filling the large bath with cold water.

* * *

Andrew watched as his older brother removed his sisters clothing, down to her underwear. He was far to worried about his sister to care that some strange teenage guys was now seeing his sisters near naked body. "Why is he removing her clothing?" asked the woman he assumed was his aunt Buffy. "If she went into the bath with her clothing on, her clothes would be to heavy for her body and injure her further. Plus all her clothing is leather, and she would kill us, once she's better, if we ruined her leather. She rather protective of it. Besides her bathing suits are usually smaller than her underwear." he growled the last part. The thought of his sister in a skimpy bathing suit, really pissed him off. He didn't like complete strange men, of all ages, staring at his sister as though she was some piece of meat or something. But that was the 19th century gentleman in him showing through.

* * *

Dawn pulled up the stool they left in the bathroom for such occasions as this. She moved the stool to the head of the claw-footed bathtub and sat down. She watched as her oldest son, as gently as possible, picked up her only daughter, and lower her into the cold bath water. Dawn immediately held on to her daughters shoulders, to keep her head above water. Dawn scooped some water in her hand and wiped in over her daughters head. " It's okay my baby girl. Mommy's here, I've got you now. Your going to be okay." Dawn just kept muttering loving things like that into her ear. After a few moments she looked up to her sons. She could tell they felt help less. "William go fix your sisters' room up, change her sheets and all that rot. Don't forget to get her some light clothing that we'll be able to put her in. Andrew, go do some research and see what you can find on what the hell is going on. Michael, go make the guck that we can leave in her room. That should relieve some of the pain as well." she ordered her sons, who wasted no time in doing as she said. Dawn watched as Lauren did an assessment of the injuries that Dani was suffering from. She also noticed that Buffy seemed to come out of her daze and pushed Angel and Connor out of the bathroom. Dawn couldn't help but let a smirk come to her face when Buffy tried to push Spike out of the bathroom, and was met with his vampire guise and a menacing growl that dared her to try and keep him away from his daughter. Needless to say Buffy backed off on that one.

* * *

Spike couldn't think straight. His daughter was in so much pain and he could smell small amount of blood coming from her. He couldn't believe that just a while earlier his daughter had been hugging him for the first time in over a century, and now she was injured almost beyond repair. He wanted to get his hands on something and make it pay for hurting his little girl. He slid down the wall and sat on the floor as he watched his wife and his mother attend to his teenage daughter. But a moment later he was gasping for air in surprise. "Daddy." Dani let out a barley audible request, and he could tell by Dawn's eyes that he better get his ass moving quickly. He was beside his daughter in a moment. "Hey platelet, Daddy's here, love." he tried to sound as calm as possible. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him. "Please don't worry about me Daddy. I'll be fine. Trust me." she gave him a slight smile that turned into a wince and then closed her eyes as she once again let the cold water numb her injuries. 


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31:

Spike held his wife as the y watched their daughter recover. William had put a clean part of blood red sheets on Dani's bed for her. Andrew had made the potion, or what ever it was, that gave off healing strength and spread it through out the room. And Michael had brought all of the research books to her bedroom, knowing fully well that everyone would be camping out in his sisters room. Angel and Connor had gone to get the rest of the Scoobies when Buffy had shoved them out of the bathroom. Lauren and Joyce were doing the best they could, to keep the house calm, considering everyone was gathered in the one bedroom, even if it was rather large, they were all still confining themselves to one space.

* * *

Lauren was tending to her granddaughters wounds and Joyce was cooking up a storm, claiming it was the least she could do. But both of her daughters knew that Joyce was taking her only granddaughters injuries hard. Willow was working away at her laptop. Giles, Xander, Anya, Connor, Angel, Gaby, and Buffy were doing double time with the research in the old musty books. Which for once no one was complaining about them. The boys had tried to do research, but their concentration kept wandering to their sister. Finally, Buffy, had put them on Brother Duty. Which consisted of being brothers and watching over their sister.

* * *

Dani opened her eyes and found her parents holding each other, asleep in her big comfy chair. Research books and sleeping Scoobies sitting at/on her large desk that she kept cornered in her room, near the door. Her grandmothers were asleep, half-sitting, half-laying down on her couch. Her two younger brothers were asleep and using bean bag chairs as pillows. She winced when she thought of how achy they were all going to be when they woke up in the morning. Last, but not least, Michael was asleep at the foot of her bed. She smirked and poked him in the ribs with her toes. She motioned for him to be quiet, when his eyes snapped open. He smiled when he caught on. Even though they weren't in Cantaria, they were still going to carry out their annual brother-sister bonding fests.

* * *

Michael got up and then helped his sister off if her bed and quietly lead them both to his bedroom and out to his balcony, so that they could climb up to the roof. When they were both sitting peacefully, and looking up at the sparkling stars, Dani was the first one to break the silence. "Why did you break up with her?" She asked him quietly. It took him so long to answer that she thought he wasn't going to. "I knew the odds of what was happening Danielle. I know that the odds of actually ever going back there are slim to none. And I know Melanie. She would have waited for me. I don't want her wait forever for me Danielle. I want her to be happy, even if that means she is going to hate me for breaking her heart." he finished sadly. Dani silently nodded. She knew most teenage boys didn't talk like that or even feel so deeply as her brothers, but that was their mother and grandmothers doing of instilling 19th century gentlemen qualities in them. And she also knew that there was nothing she could say to make her brother feel better. So she decided to change the subject. "So are you really back for good now? No more playing man of the house?" She looked down at her feet and then up at her brother.. He was again quiet for another moment, before turning to look at her and giving her a smile. " Yeah. Big Brother Mikey is back. No more man of the house and pretending to be 'dad.' Besides I don't think Dad would let me." he smirks at her and wraps one arm around her shoulders and gave her a tight yet gentle squeeze.

* * *

All the sudden she turned herself around to look at him. "We should send Mum and Dad on a second Honey moon." She smiled widely at her idea. Michael on the other hand looked at her skeptically for a moment before asking, "Where would we send them?" Dani thought for a moment and then she practically glowed at her ingenious idea. "We'll send them home." Michael smiled when he caught on to her meaning. 


	33. Chapter 32

A/N: Sorry it took me so long. My muse hit me and I was writing so much that I forgot to type and upload them. But here is one of my chapters that I wrote I'm trying to get my other typed and uploaded this weekend! Sorry again!

Chapter 32:

The next morning the large group of friends and family were awakened by the sound of Godsmack. The Scoobies groaned and Dawn and Lauren chuckled. Willow cover her ears. "How do you put up with that noise?" Dawn smiled at her sympathetically. "Easy we're out numbered. All four of them are obsessed with music. Lauren and I have gotten so used to hearing it that we find ourselves getting into it." Lauren winced. " Something that was not an intentional goal, believe me." Andrew and William rolled their eyes at their mother and grandmother.

"Danielle must be up." Joyce voiced when she noticed that the bed was empty. They all stood and went to go look for her. But Dawn, Lauren, William, and Andrew followed the music, already having an idea of where Dani was. The others followed in confusion. They figured that since she was hurt she would be relaxing some place. Oh, how wrong they were. They stopped in their tracks when they opened the door to the cellar. There they found Danielle and Michael sparing in high speed hand to hand combat. But it was the lyrics of the song that got to both Buffy and Dawn.

Wait another minute.

Can't you see what this pain has fucking done to me?

I'm alive and still kickin'.

What you see I can't see…

And maybe you'll think before you speak.

I'm alive for you.

I'm awake because of you.

I'm alive I told you.

I'm awake swallowing you.

Take another second.

Turn your back on me…

And make believe that you're always happy.

It's safe to say your never alive.

A big part of you has died.

And by the way…

I hope you're satisfied.

I'm alive for you.

I'm awake because of you.

I'm alive I told you.

I'm awake swallowing you.

I'm alive for you.

I'm awake because of you.

I'm alive I told you.

I'm awake.

Tearing it back unveiling me.

Taking a step back so I can breath.

Hear the silence about to break.

Fear resistance when I'm awake.

Tearing it back unveiling me.

Taking a step back so I can breath.

Hear the silence about to break.

Fear resistance when I'm awake.

I'm alive for you.

I'm awake because of you.

I'm alive I told you.

I'm awake swallowing you.

I'm alive for you.

I'm awake.

As the song ended the siblings took a breather, but William was fuming. He was down the stairs in a flash and pulling on her arm, so that she was facing him. And since Danielle didn't have any shoes on, he was the same height as her. And when he was angry you knew it. "What the hell are you doing! You're still healing!" he yelled at her. Dani looked at him incredulously and yelled back at him. " Are you kidding me! This? It's just a scratch!" Even Michael back away a little bit when he saw Williams eyes turn amber, but Dani held his gaze. And since his back was facing the others, no one else could tell that he was more than just the son of the key. " Dani! A scratch is a fractured rib and maybe even a concussion! Nearly dieing isn't a scratch!" Now Dani was pissed and took a step toward her brother. "Then maybe I have a fucking death wish!" She growled and flung the table, that held the first aid stuff, across the room causing it to smash into pieces when it hit the cement wall. Then she turned back to William, who's facial expression had softened after her out burst. " Are you happy now! Is that what you wanted to hear! Fine! Now you know! I'm 15 fucking years old and I have a death wish!" She broke down and fell to her knees. " I just want all of this to be over. I don't want to fight this grand war anymore! I don't want so much responsibility on my shoulders! I want to be a 15 year old."

Dawn, Buffy, Lauren, Joyce, Gaby, Willow, and Anya had tears in their eyes. The three boys gathered around her and just held her. Then she started laughing through her tears. "Hell of a time to have a break down, huh! Their army grows stronger and I fall when my baby brother yells at me! Some leader I make." Neither of the boys said anything they just held her a little tighter.

* * *

Lauren heard Nathan in her head. "I know they are her parents, my love, but you can't let them see her like this much longer. Only Buffy can help her with this on I'm afraid. Go along with Danielle and Michael's idea. She'll be fine, but they can't stay." Lauren nodded and blinked back more tears. 


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33:

Dawn sat on the bay window in their bedroom, in their home in London, England. Michael was right, the Summers home in Sunnydale didn't have enough old world charm. She had missed this home so much, she smiled to herself as she looked up at the stars , and fingered the necklace William had given her all those years ago. She had never once, in all the years she had had it in her possession, even thought of removing the cross from her neck. But now that her husband was a vampire and with her once again, she was thinking she might have to. She didn't want to burn him when he came close to her. She sighed and held it close to her for a few more moments. She blinked back the tears, surprised at how hard it would actually be parting with her beloved necklace, from now on. She breathed in deeply and reluctantly mover her hands to the back of hr neck. "What are you doing, love?" Dawn turned to see Spike sanding in the doorway of their room. " I was just about to take my necklace off. I don't want you to be in pain every time you come near me." she looked up at him lovingly, yet she still had tears in her eyes at the thought of parting with the necklace the love of her life had given her. " Pet. Don't do that. I love that necklace on you!" He moved into the room and toward her. "But it will burn you William!" She said with a worried expression on her face and concern in her voice.

Spike just looked at his beautiful wife. "It's been a while since anyone called me William, and I haven't wanted to rip their bloody throats out for it." Dawn smiled. " That was romantic, till you got to the messy part." She smiled up at hr husband lovingly. " Don't worry about the necklace, love. Danielle used some of her magic on me before we left." He smiled at her and touched the necklace he had given her. She smiled when no smoke resulted in the contact of his skin and the cross. He then cupped her face within his right hand and placed his left hand on hr hip. "I've missed you so much, love." He whispered. "You saw me not that long ago, before younger me went back in time." She whispered back. " In genetics she was you and I love her very much. But she had yet to be my wife and give me four amazing children. She didn't know of all the things we did or what we bloody went through." He leaned his forehead on hers and gently kissed her on the lips. When he pulled back a little he saw tears in her eyes. " I never wanted to keep them from you. But I couldn't take the chance of Darla or Angelus or…" Spike placed his thumb gently over her mouth to silence her. "It's quite alright Dawn. I knew you would protect them. And I'm glad you did, Angelus wanted me to watch him kill my family after Drusilla turned me." More tears came to her eyes at the thought. "Easy, love. No tears. You know I can't stand seeing you upset. Besides the four of them are safe in California. Your sister in there, your mother is there, my mother is there, which you are explaining to me later, Gaby is there, as well as the others." He tried to calm her. " I just don't think we should have left after Danielle's' breakdown." He smoothed her hair. " The boys will take care of her and if she or the boys need us you can get us there in a flash, literally." Dawn giggled and nodded, and then buried her face in this chest, while she wrapped her arms around his waist. Spike didn't even try to control William's emotions as he held his wife for the first time in over a century.

* * *

London 1882: 

William laid there watching his bride sleep . She looked so peaceful and at home in their bed. They had only been married a few months. 2 months and 6 days, to be exact. He still couldn't believe that he got to share the rest of his life with the beautiful woman next to him. He sighed in contentment and settled down next to her, while wrapping his arm around her, to hold her close throughout the night. " I love you, William." She mumbled as she snuggled further into his embrace. "I love you as well, my love." He placed a lingering yet gentle kiss to her temple before following his wife into dream land.

* * *

London Present: 

Spike held her tighter to him, and placed a kiss to her temple, just like he had so many nights long, long ago. " Thank you for naming him William." He whispered to his wife. "Couldn't have named him anything else. Besides, in case you hadn't noticed, he's practically your present carbon copy." She chuckled into his chest. "Smart-ass attitude, too." He smirked. Dawn was about to say something but a yawn interrupted her. "Alright, love. It's been an interesting and tiring few days, to say the least.. Time for you to get some sleep." He lead her to their bed. And husband and wife slept peacefully in each others arms for the first time in decades.


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34:

Gaby watched Dani from the other side of the room. Dani was going through a trunk full of old pictures of her family, when she was younger. Gaby watched her eyes glaze over. "You haven't been meditating." Gaby stated as she sat down next to her niece. " I don't want to loose this feeling of being complete, Gaby. I haven't felt like this in so long." Dani whispered as she came across a picture of William holding a new born Danielle. "Your father is your weakness." Gaby concluded, almost as though for some reason, the realization had surprised her. "What did you think it was?" Dani asked her sarcastically. "Your family." Gaby whispered. Dani shook her head. " No. I mean, yeah, it would hurt like hell if I lost one of them. But I think I would cease living if I lost dad. I would just be a shell of his daughter but that would be it. She said as a tear fell down her face.

Gaby turned to her niece so that she was looking her in the face. "What are you doing Dani?" Gaby's voice was filled with fear. " I'm saying goodbye Aunt Gaby. Look me up in any ancient text. Only my life will stop this war." Gaby shook her head. " But the Key is the only thing that can stop the First." Gaby tried to rationalize with her niece. But Dani just smiled a sad smile. " And the only way he'll get close enough, for the prophesized battle to take place, is if I'm already dead. Because, he is not getting my mother."

* * *

Gaby was pacing the kitchen while the others looked on. She slammed her hands on the table. " She's right. So that means we have to find something everyone else, throughout history, missed" She said determinedly. "And if we can't?" Buffy voiced what they were all thinking. Gaby closed her eyes and let a single tear fall down her face. "Then we have to train her the best we can and send her in for a suicide mission." Gaby opened her eyes as what she said settled in with everyone. " So find something!" And with that Gaby walked out of the house and left the group in silence. None of them wanted to believe that either Dani or Dawn could end up dieing in this war.

* * *

Danielle sat cross legged on the basement floor, surrounded by incense. It was the first time she had meditated in almost a month. Well, at least meditation like this. Gaby watched from the stairs as Dani floated about a half of a foot off of the floor. It had been a week and the group had been able to find nothing that would change the forth coming events. So she had made Dani do the strongest form of meditation known to vampires, well actually it was a myth not many of them knew about, but for the Order of Aurelius, they all knew of this meditation. Through it you faced your strongest fears, what you couldn't control and the worst things you had ever seen. It gave you a reason to fight, a reason to live for those around you. She just hoped that Danielle's mind was still strong enough to handle everything she had seen throughout her life. Because beneath that happy 15 year old persona there was a jaded warrior who had seen far to many horrid things for her years.

* * *

The horrible images of past battles past through her mind. The battles themselves, the innocent casualties caught in the crossfire. The children screaming as they sat by their parents, trying to wake them up as they lay on the ground injured. As all the images played through her mind, the feeling of helplessness grew within her. She couldn't help all of these people, she couldn't save them. But she could stop the reoccurrence of these kind of things. Her power and strength grew as her need to help grew. She had been afraid to fight, afraid of loosing those who were close to her.

She opened her eyes and looked at Gaby. Still floating in mid-air, with her now viscous amber eyes. "It's time to fight.." She could no longer hold on to the feeling of what she could loose if she went to war. To many others had lost more than she had, and they were still willing to fight by her side. It was time she made her own sacrifices for those her mother swore to protect. She was the only one who could.

Her power smothered the incense as she practically walked on the air as she came to the ground. Gaby moved out of her way as she walked by. Gaby could feel her power just seamlessly radiating off of her. Danielle wasn't someone you wanted to cross when she was at full strength.

* * *

Dani walked into her room and straight to her closet and flung both of her doors open. It was time to do what she was meant to do and what she had to do. She winced a little, her sparing was apparently more than she could handle, but there was no time to dwell on that now. She pulled off her training clothes and pulled on her black leather pants. She then roughly, pulled her hair into a tight ponytail. Then a black sports bra, and a black, sports, tank top. She grabbed her silver, cross, necklace off of her dresser and saw Buffy in the mirror when she looked up. "You don't have to do thins, Dani!" Buffy said as she sat down on the edge of her nieces bed. Dani finished clipping her necklace and pulled a sword sheath over her shoulder so that it was resting on her back. " If I don't, who will?" Dani slipped on her black, high-healed, leather boots. She slammed on her heal and watched a blade slip out of the front of her sole, and then slid back in a moment later. "Your 15 Danielle!" "And I'm stronger than the rest of you. Besides none of you have seen what I have. You Don't know what it would take to drive you to keep fighting when your hurt in bottle. The things I've seen is what keeps you fighting. She said as she pulled on her wrist daggers, like the ones Angel use. She watched as each blade slid out and then slid back in a moment later. "Let us help you Danielle!" Buffy tried desperately. Dani saw tears in her aunts eyes and sighed. "Buffy, you of all people should know, better than anyone, what my life is like. You're a Slayer, even if you wanted to quit you couldn't, because you aren't ignorant about what actually goes on around you. Just like I can't not fight after I've seen all the destruction this war has caused." She pulled on her black leather duster, the one that was so similar to Spike's. Buffy just kept watching her niece as she placed a magnificent sword in the holster on hr back. Dani walked up to her window and stopped. "Don't worry I won't be alone." Buffy breathed in deeply, and spoke with a shaky voice. "Rule one: Don't die." Dani nodded and hopped on her windowsill. "That's one rule I can't guarantee that I won't break." And with that she jumped the three stories out her window and walked onto the night. Buffy closed her eyes and fell backwards on her nieces bed.

* * *

London Present:

Dawn sat up in bed, breathing heavily. Spike sat up and looked at his wife. Dawn looked around their room, she couldn't get her senses to straighten out. All she could sense was her daughter. "Love, what's wrong?" He asked his wife in concern. Dawn looked at her husband with fear in her eyes. "Dani."


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35:

Spike found Dawn sitting on their bed in tears. He had left her their, while he went to make sure no one could get in the house while he and his wife went to go see what was wrong with their daughter. He had not expected to come back to the master bedroom to find his wife in hysterics. It was an uncomforting sight to say the least. He ran to her after his senses came back to him. "Pet, what's wrong?" he asked her, his voice full of concern. He became nearly as hysterical as she when instead of answering him she just cried harder. "Dawn, your bloody scaring me what's wrong?" he demanded in a voice that he knew would tell her he had let William completely take over. William had fought his demon and been pushed aside for the time being.

Dawn looked up at her husband with fear in her eyes. Though she knew that he would know she was not afraid of him, but he wouldn't like the fact that any kind of fear had made its way into her eyes. "It's not working, William." she told him in a strangled voice. He looked at her in confusion. "What's not working, Love?" She moved her hand to show him that she couldn't conjure any of her powers. Her powers were not working. They couldn't get back to America fast enough without her powers. And they both knew that taking a plane was not an option. No matter what time they left, Spike would be in danger of the sun. "How are we supposed to help her is she won't let us leave, to get to her!" Dawn demanded, as more tears fell from her face. Spike gathered her into his arms and rocked her soothingly back and forth. "I'm sure she is doing everything she can to get us to her." Spike tried to reason with her, but Dawn just shook her head negatively. "Not even the powers that be can stop my powers from working. Only myself and somehow Dani." Spike looked at his wife in confusion. "We have a powerful daughter William. And right now she's pulling out all of the tricks she has got t keep us from getting to her."

Spike watched as fear, sadness, anguish, and denial past through his wife's gaze. He had a feeling he knew why, but he really he was wrong. "Why would she do that, love?" he asked her quietly. "Because she doesn't plan on coming back, William." She told him as easily as she could. Spike breathed in deep and they both closed their eyes in grief. Only then was a blinding light emitted from the two of them as William continued to hold his wife.

When the light disappeared, Dawn was in an 1800's dress, and William had his glasses perched on his nose and was also dressed in his 1800's attire, along with his once dirty blond hair. The room around them had deodorized along with their clothing. William soothed his wife's hair and pulled back to give her a smile. "Are you saying that we are to welcome a new child soon?" Dawn smiled and nodded. "Are you happy?" William smiled at her and chuckled lightly. "Love, I would enjoy nothing more than to add another bit to our four that we have already." Dawn smiled at her husband widely. "Just think, you could have four boys in a few months." William chuckled. "As enjoyable as that sounds, I do believe I would like this one to be a girl. I believe Danielle would do well to have a sister." The two smiled at each other lovingly. "Love me, William." Dawn requested quietly. William smiled and leaned in to kiss his wife. "We should have mother take the children, and leave us on our second honeymoon more often." Dawn giggled and leaned back.

The two lovers were basking in the love of a marriage that was, by any definition, beyond successful, and the joyful news of a new addition to the family. William raised an eyebrow at his wife when he noticed she used her powers to remove their clothes. She just returned his look but added a smirk. And soon the husband and wife where enjoying their one of many moments they had shared together for their second honeymoon. Lauren had taken the four little ones with Margaret to visit Margaret's family in the next town, to give William and Dawn two weeks to themselves.

As the two lovers lay in bed, holding each other, William's hand slides down to her stomach. He looks into his wife's blue eyes with all the love he has and smiles. "Am I safe to say that your life is how you had wished it to be, my love?" Dawn leans up and kisses him deeply. "It os far better than I had possibly dreamed." She smiled widely at her husband and then cuddled into his side and the two slid into dream land.

The two slept without any knowledge that just hours ago they had been in hysterics wondering how they were going to get to their teenaged children and protect them. For as far as this couple was concerned their four kids are all under the age of 10.


	37. Authors note

A/N: I know a lot of you will be upset that the last chapter was short and a lot of you think that I have strayed away from this as a Dawn/Spike fic and made it about their kids. But I would like to assure you that I have not forgotten that this is a Dawn/Spike/William fic. I am slowly building up to where I want the Dawn and William/Spike relationship to be. And to get their I have to explain their family difficulties first. So please bare with me and stick with the story. Thank you all for all of your patients. I hope you all are enjoying the story as much as I am enjoying writing it for you. Also another thing is that I am going to be busy for the next few weeks or so, so please don't be to upset with me if you don't see many updates or any at all. I have to go through one week of training for one of my school extracurricular and then I have to finish my summer reading and then I have to prepare for my senior year. School Shopping! Hey its still shopping and I still get clothes out of the deal. But I'll see what I can do !

JenaMariano


	38. Chapter 36 Final Chapter important AN

Chapter 36:

London 1880's:

Dawn, William, Michael, Andrew, William Jr. and Lauren Carinton welcomed the only girl into their family. Joyce Daniella Carinton. She was loved by everyone, especially her Aunt Buffy Summers - O'Connoll. Buffy had given birth to a stillborn baby girl moments after she had given birth to her son Connor. But Joyce was the apple of her fathers' eye; she would definitely be one spoiled little girl by the time she could walk.

William sat down next to his wife and his new baby girl. He had three amazing boys, a gorgeous wife, and now a beautiful baby girl. "Dani." He whispered. Dawn looked at him in confusion. "What honey?" "Nothing, Luv. I was just thinking that that a nice nickname for her would be Dani." He told his beautiful wife as he gave her a reassuring kiss on the temple. But he couldn't help but feel like someone extremely important in his life was missing.

His entire family had been surprised when Buffy Anne Summers- O'Connoll had appeared on their doorstep with a 5 year old Connor in her arms. She was waiting out the time for when Angelus got his soul before he presented their son to him. William had to admit that the Summers women were and always would be far more than he could ever handle. But he would never have it any other way.

Lauren fretted over Connor as though he were one of her grandsons. The four boys got along as well as could be expected. Although Mike was about ready to hurt Connor for saying his sister had the cooties.

Sunnydale 2003

Danielle Carinton looked around her with the last of her energy. The first was gone; she had just sent her army to their home dimension and appointed a new military leader for them. And now she stood in the room that had been hers for the past 3-4 months. Yet you would never know it by its appearance. The spell had worked…her family was gone as well. And they would never remember her.

She had put a spell on Connor before she sent him back, so that she could see how they were fairing. They had a new baby girl to keep them occupied; they wouldn't miss her, not that they could. She fell to the floor with the last of her energy and began crying. She had just gotten her family back only to loose it again. She had won the war and saved the world, just like she had always wanted to. But the sacrifice it had cost her made it a bittersweet victory. She cried for her family and for the life they didn't remember. Now she was going to have to take over the role that all of her family would have played her. She would be the resident Slayer now and all of them would be safe. She just hoped that she hadn't changed history too much when she sent her Aunt and Cousin back in time to be with Angel (us).

However, the more she cried the more she lost her will to fight in this time. And as her will to live slipped farther and farther away, she was joined by a higher being. But she was so far gone in her emotions that she didn't even know it. The being, ironically enough, was none other than Joyce Summers. Joyce smiled sadly at her granddaughter and engulfed her in a comforting light as she watched Dani slowly give into her body's demands to shut down.

London 1900's

William, Dawn, Lauren, Buffy, and Angel sat around the living room and watched as their children opened their Christmas presents from Father Christmas. Connor and Michael would soon be celebrating their birthdays. Connor was turning 19 and Michael was turning 18. The two of them got along far better now than they had when they were younger. Andrew had just turned 16, William was 15 and Joyce was 14. She no longer liked to be called "Dani", claiming that she was to old for such childish nicknames. No one was really sure where she had learned to be such a snob, but she reminded Dawn, William and Lauren a great deal of Cecily, which they weren't to comfortable with, but they loved her anyway, especially when she had her moments. Angel had his soul now and stayed close by, but preferred for his family not to see him deal with the challenges of his soul, no matter how much Buffy and Connor protested.

Dawn looked at her husband and saw the frequent far away look he got around holidays and birthdays. She knew that he wouldn't change his life for anything, and that he loved all of them, but she also knew he felt like something was missing… no not something…someone. Joyce had been Daddy's little girl when she was little, but that had stopped at age 9 and she knew that that had really hurt her husband. She grabbed his hand and gave it an encouraging and supportive squeeze. She had never admitted it to him but she had gotten that feeling every now and then, but definitely not as often as he. "I'm sorry, luv." he gave her an apologetic smile. "Nothing to worry about at all, William."

William Jr. still had that same bright blond hair he had when he was born, but now he was using a new finagled chemical that kept it that way, by taking the color out of his hair. Dawn knew that as much as William protested Will's hair, which was more for Laurens benefit, he secretly admired his son for not caring what people thought about his own personal taste. Of course it was her own fault, ever since she had told her boys stories of "Spike" Will had insisted on changing his hair color, whether it be magically or with that chemical stuff.

Michael was currently courting a lovely girl named Sammantha. Connor on the other hand was far from courting anyone, he just enjoyed keeping to himself. To her he reminded her a lot of William when she had first met him. He kept to himself publicly, but when he got home, well lets just say you could tell he was Buffys' son.

That night one would find William and Dawn in the Library, like most every night, they would just sit together in front of the fire and remember everything that had happened in their lives, and maybe even sneak in a make-out session as if they were still courting and hadn't been married for 19 years. But tonight their memories were a little different; they kept getting flashes of a familiar but strange girl. They couldn't figure out whom she was until… "Look who I found!" they heard Michael say from behind them. William and Dawn stood up and saw a teenage girl around Michael's age standing there in the most beautiful lavender dress. She slowly looked up, and the couple gasped. There standing in front of them was a younger replica of Dawn at first glance, but once you looked closer you saw William as well. Standing there was Danielle Elizabeth Carinton. William growled and ran to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't you even think about pulling a stunt like that again, Danielle!" He scolded her as he held her tight and let tears come to his eyes. "Yes, Daddy!" She whispered as she held onto him tightly and cried as well. When he finally and reluctantly let her go she was engulfed in a hug from her mother. "You are so grounded!" Dani chuckled and nodded into her mothers shoulder. Dani then looked up at the ceiling and smiled, "Thank you, Grandma." she whispered barely loud enough for anyone to hear, but she knew that one Joyce Summers had heard her and that was all that mattered.

Dawn sat in bed and watched her husband write furiously at his desk. "Dear, are you coming to bed at all tonight?" she giggled and shook her head when she heard him growl. Yup, her husband was still a loving vampire. Sometimes she really hated magic. "Yes. But I'm leaving nothing to chance, that first daughter of ours is far too much like me for her own good! Make us forget her just so she can save the bloody world! Forget the bloody world, I want to remember my own daughter! Especially since she's the one that still likes me!" Dawn smiled as he ranted and wrote. Yes, life was as it should be. Her lovable and overly-protective husband by her side, vampire and all, all five her children were peacefully asleep under the same roof that 4 of them had been born in, but most of all it was good to be home with all of them. She had the best Husband in the world, the best family in the world and the best life in the world and she wouldn't change a thing. "Very well. Goodnight my love." she yawned as she snuggled deeper into the bedding.

William stopped writing and turned to look at his beautiful wife of 19 years. His vampire no longer loathed the name William and it was all because of the beautiful woman before him. He got up and tucked her in as she began falling to sleep. "Goodnight, Nibblet." he said lovingly with a wicked smirk on his face and kissed her on the forehead. Sometimes being a vampire had its advantages, especially when mated with none other than the Key. She was his and always would be; no matter what life they had lived or would live after this one. She was his soul mate and they would always find each other, for that he was sure of.

_**VERY IMPORTANT! VERY IMPORTANT ! VERY IMPORTANT !**_

A/N: okay i know i haven't updated in a really long time, but i have a good reason for it, a very good reason. you see i got a review that was wondering why a match made in history wasn't more ofa Dawn/Spike fic, and it really got me thinking. so i re-read all of my stories and read the reviews, and although the majority were very positive, personally i no longer liked what i wrote. so thats what took me so long, and now i am submitting my last chapter to a match made in history and after this i plan on focusing the time that i have in between all of my school work and college applications, to writing and drastically revising my stories. so i deeply apologize if this chapter sucks, i just really wanted to finish one of my stories before i truly began the rewriting and revising process. and a huge thanks to those who have stuck with me and all of my stories, all of your support has been greatly appreciated!

JenaMariano


	39. Special Thanks

A Special Thanks to:

CJ

Tara

Spikesbit

Candi

monkeygyrl

Claire Starling

Michelle R.

Labyrith

Pomegrante Queen

MoonAssassin

Kurayami-no-Izou

savy

ShvrMeTmbrs

vdarkangel88

me

K.Lynn Smith

Spikewil

tash

kc

Emily

echos-of-youkia

chantel

Rogue212

kurt couper

daughterofdarkness87

naughty169420

kelly

Charmed Pheobe 1982

Jenn

Eliie Ashton

SapphireAngL

Dumbledore's Girl

texasgrrl

slytherinchick-200

Danielle

Rock-witch

bloodywitme

Megan Elizabeth

Just Another Dream

WayWard Childe

aruora.grissom

Lydia

JT

bubbles5

marykaitlyn

hmmmmm

Tigger2005

nicola

Brooklyn Davis

DragonGirlYumi

Dawn

White Tiger Black Lion

Dawn Marsters

Angel

ann

SiriusSpikeLover

nichbuket

at a loss for words

foxy420x

JamesMFan

Katie farmer

Lorelai StarShadow

MadTom

Mindy Duff

NikkiGra

Rei Anubis Maxwell

Rockie On Vacation

sk8r-gurl420

Darkest Melody

Melted-icicle


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